Two's a Crowd
by krazyhippo66
Summary: How does Jane handle having two people stuck in her body, especially when she's falling for Maura? Jekyll and Hyde Jane Rizzoli style. Eventual Rizzles, I promise.
1. Chapter 1

The more her headache increased, the harder Jane gripped the table as she sat in the interrogation room listening to their suspect speak. Each time she tried to think, her temples throbbed in defiance until she was about ready to snap. Why? Why was this happening to her?

"Jane?"

"Hmm?" she asked through gritted teeth.  
"You okay?" Korsak asked warily.

"Peachy," Jane nearly growled.

"I've got a couple aspirin—"

"No!" she burst out, immediately backing off. "I, uhh, I mean, I'm fine, Korsak, really."

He eyed her warily, his gaze sweeping up and down her tensed body until he shrugged, dropping it and turning back to the suspect.

"Can you tell us where you were yesterday evening?" he asked calmly.

"I was at home—"

"I am _sick_ of your _lying_!" Jane shouted, slamming her palm down on the table. "One more false word out of your mouth and I swear to God you'll wish—"

"Jane!" Korsak cut in.

She stood up violently, sending her chair clattering to the floor. She ignored it, chewing on her lip as she paced, her glare boring into the man.

"Alright! I wasn't at home. But I didn't kill my wife! I was down at a pawn shop selling some of her jewelry."

"For how long?" Jane shot.

"I got there at eight, left at nine thirty."

"That's quite a long time."

"He made me sit there and wait for his stone appraiser came 'round. And I wanted them sold then so I agreed, okay?"

Jane gave him a look.

"You have a receipt?"

"Yes."

She sighed.

"Fine. Go."

He jumped from his seat and ran out the door, and Jane was quick to do the same.

"Jane!" Korsak called as he followed. "Jane?! What in the hell has gotten into you?"

She didn't stop walking as she checked her watch.

"Look, I'd love to talk, but I have to go. I'm…I'm expecting someone, so can we maybe…talk about this later?"

He didn't really have time to answer as Jane disappeared down the stairwell to the garage. She rushed toward her car, only to hear a different voice calling her name.

"Jane? Are you avoiding me?"

_Shit_.

"No, Maur, I swear. I've just…I've been busy," she muttered as she picked up her pace, but loud heels echoed closer.

"We don't spend nearly as much time together! And you won't even look at me in the office."

Jane opened her car door, got in, and slammed it shut. She locked the door just as Maura appeared at her window. She felt her heart speeding up as she took in the vision that was Maura Isles. The dress that hugged her curves, the adorable dimples, the dazzling smile with such innocent eyes peering at her through the glass. Her stomach was tightening at the thought of what she wanted to do with Maura, but the more she looked at her, the more she felt herself slipping away.

_Damnit, can't you leave me alone for two minutes with Maura?_

She looked apologetically at Maura before starting the car.

"I'll talk to you later," she dismissed as she pulled away, almost hitting Maura in the process.

Maura stood, shell-shocked, staring after the car. She didn't know what the hell was going on. She and Jane had been growing so close together, and then one day, something changed. Jane was more crabby than usual, especially to her. Then she stopped visiting her, and then she stopped looking at her all together. The M.E. had half a nerve to be angry, the other to be hurt. She thought they had been getting closer…Jane had been flirting with her more, staying closer, her hands lingering on her just a little longer.

She sighed. Not anymore. Maura had resorted to observing her from afar. It seemed as though she was irritable to _everyone_, and always seemed in a constant state of pain. Be it headaches or sore muscles, or something else Maura couldn't see. She was struggling with something, and she seemed adamant to tell no one. Not even Maura. Maybe space was all she needed.

Jane gripped the steering wheel harder as she drove, squinting into the headlights that passed her by. She was angry, furious even. Why did it happen to her? She didn't even _do_ anything. She felt her conscience draining as she pulled into her parking spot. She ran through her front door and to the back of her apartment. She went into a room that used to be her closet, slammed the door and typed in the keypad. The last sound she heard was the lock engaging as her world went blank. Her legs gave out and she slipped to the floor, unconscious.


	2. Truce

Jane awoke at the back of the closet, her head resting against the small fridge. She groaned and sat up, putting her head in her hands as she tried to breathe. She found though, that with each breath, she let tears fall. _Damn it._ Of all the things she hated most about this, the blackouts were definitely the worst. It was chunks of her life, missing. Gone. She finally lifted her head to survey the tiny room. The only thing that looked different was a note taped haphazardly to the door next to the keypad. Jane forced herself to stand, stumbling to the door and ripping the note down as she slid to the floor once again.

_Jane,_

_I can't live like this. Please. I'm going insane. Well, I guess you are too, but still. Let me out. Can't we make some kind of agreement? You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what I want. I need a compromise here. If I live the rest of my days in ten square feet of dark space, I think I might make us both mad. I know my track record isn't that great, but it's worth it to breathe fresh air._

_Signed,_

_Your better half_

_P.S. could you maybe give me a name? I'm finding it more and more difficult to come up with something ironically witty. _

Jane grimaced. She searched blindly for the pen and pad of paper in the dark, setting it in her lap as she started to write.

_Fine. This is a truce. I have ground rules. You do nothing illegal. You do, I'll turn myself in. No exceptions. That way we're both stuck. You stay away from 8am-8pm Monday through Friday. If something happens where you show up during that time, it's like a debt. You give me time from your time. Got it? Do not hurt my family or friends. If they see you out, you make nice and pretend to be me. And for fuck's sake, don't get me pregnant. If I think of anything else, I'll tell you._

_I've put some thought into this for a while. I'm buying a tracking device and a recorder. You have something to tell me, record it. I'll do the same. And you can track all my movements, same with me. I'll track yours. _

_Write me your requests and we'll come up with something more official. And go by Vanessa. I've always been a fan of the Little Mermaid._

_Loathing you more every day,_

_Jane_

She dropped the pen to the floor, rereading the note. She hated this. She wished she was crazy, _wished _she had a split personality. But she'd discovered that wasn't the case. There was actually someone else in her body. Someone else. She wasn't someone before, she just…appeared. In her. Why couldn't she just've been crazy?

Checking her watch, she groaned. Already 7 am. She typed in the key code and waited for the lock to disengage, before rushing out to her bedroom. She hopped around undressing and redressing as quickly as she could, running into the kitchen to shovel food in her mouth. So lost in her own world, she yelped when her phone buzzed, but quickly recovering to answer it.

"Rizzoli…What do you mean where was I? Sleeping. Did you…call? Oh. Yeah sure, where's the location? Oh. You already left? Sorry. Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

Hanging up she cursed Vanessa, though the woman could not hear.

At the station, she ran to the bullpen to find Cavanaugh sitting on her desk. She slowed her run to a dead stop, her eyes narrowing as she inspected him.

"Your late," he said simply.

"Sorry sir."

"Go get caught up."

"Uhh…You can't do that?"

"I could, but it's just easier for Dr. Isles to, since she's already got new info."

Jane swallowed. She hadn't had to visit Maura since…well since this all started.

"I, umm….can I maybe _not_?"

"Look, Rizzoli, whatever happened between you two is not my problem. You work together. That's just how it goes."

Jane tried not to look terrified as she nodded and turned toward the elevators. Just focus, Jane, focus. She kneaded her palms, closing her eyes. Oh how she longed for a cup of coffee, or aspirin, but no. Drugs made her feel weak recently, as if they made….it, or _her_, stronger. So she refrained, passing by the café and into the elevators.

Maura was working quietly, efficiently, in the solitude of the morgue. She found that without Jane's usual interruptions, she got everything done quicker. She jumped at the sound of the door creaking, looking up to see Jane, quite literally, one foot out the door. It was as if she was using the steel to put a physical barrier between them. Maura just looked down dejectedly back to the body.

"Detective," she said curtly.

"C'mon Maur," Jane protested. "I meant what I said."

She was met with a cold silence that made her chest tighten with guilt.

"Hey," she said more gently.

Maura's tearing eyes shot up. It was as if she'd heard the old Jane'ss voice. The old Jane that would die before she hurt her. The Jane that loved her.

"I'm sorry," Jane said even quieter, "I've…I've been going through some things…Some really weird, really scary things. And I wish to God I could lean on you, ask for your help. But I can't. Don't you ever think it's because I don't want to..."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Maura studied her; she looked broken, defeated by something.

"I need you, Maur. I don't wanna lose you."

"I won't—"

"Don't promise me something you can't give," Jane cut her off sharply.

"I will always be your friend."

"God I hope you're right," Jane murmured.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"Jane, what is this about?" Maura blurted in exasperation, taking a step toward the detective.

Jane cowered away, hiding even more behind the door.

"Nothing. Just…fill me in on the case," she mumbled harshly.

Maura's brow furrowed. What in the hell was going on? She didn't fight Jane, though, explaining the case without looking at her. The more she talked, the calmer Jane seemed to get, but Maura didn't dare press her luck, keeping still, staying behind the autopsy table. When she had finished, Jane had almost stepped all the way into the room. Their eyes finally locked in the painful silence. Maura gave a sad smile.

"I miss you, Jane."

Pain flashed in Jane's eyes; she looked torn. Maura saw the gears turning in Jane's head as the detective considered whether or not to approach her. Whether or not to let her in.

"I…I miss you too," Jane breathed before dashing away down the hall.

She felt her heart pounding; just being close to Maura made her head spin. She ran to the bathroom, clutching at the counter, trying to ground herself. She counted her breaths, desperate to keep in control. Her shaking hands dug through her pockets, retrieving the crumpled note she'd written from earlier. With an unsteady hand she managed to scrawl at the bottom: _Stay away from Maura_.

Her head collapsed against the counter as a powerful wave of pain coursed through her.

She let out a dry sob as she gripped the counter, pressing her forehead to the cool granite as she waited for the pain to subside or the world to go dark. But as the minutes dragged on, she felt her strength returning, felt the pain dwindle. She took in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly, counting to ten until her lungs held no more air.

She straightened up, only to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She sniffled, roughly wiping at the corners of her eyes to dry the stray tears that had escaped.

_You're stronger than this, Jane. Man up and face it._

A knocking on the door startled her back to the world.

"Jane?" Frost's voice drifted in from the hall.

"Yeah?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"You okay?"  
"Mhm," she dismissed, throwing the door open and walking briskly past him.

His eyes narrowed as he looked after Jane's fleeing figure, but he was quick to start up after her.

"Ya seem off, Jane."

"Yup. Thanks for noticing."

"C'mon," he cut in more sharply, pulling her to a stop, his hand gripping her upper arm tightly. "Whatever it is, Jane, it's hurting you. Please."

She wanted to tell him everything was okay.

Instead, she pulled from his hold roughly, continuing her path down the hall.

"Let's just catch this guy, alright?" she muttered.

She kept her back to him, unable to bear seeing the hurt in his eyes, knowing she'd caused it. All of it. She hurt Maura, Korsak, Frost….Frankie, Angela. She was so busy fighting against this other person, she didn't even see that she was doing as much damage as Vanessa could've.

The thought frightened her, but it was the shove she needed. She kept her anger in check the rest of the day, forcing smiles here and there. What she could not force herself to do, though, was visit Maura. She skipped out of the office as soon as 5 hit, speeding home and locking herself once again in the closet, hopefully for the last night, not like she remembered it.

In the morning, her note was once again taped to the door, one new sentence scribbled on it.

_I only have one condition: don't look for a cure. -Vanessa_


	3. First Night Out

Jane read the note a few more times…How in the hell could there be a cure to this? She didn't really consider it a disease…Oh well. She called in sick as soon as she was free from her makeshift cage, giving Frost lead on the case. She was then off to the store. She went with a video recorder instead of just audio, along with a GPS tracker before heading home.

After a few long hours of pacing, she set out a few more preparations, and then she just sat. Sat and waited for 8 pm to roll around. That was, of course, until Angela burst through the door.

"Jane?! Jane Clementine Rizzoli!" she shouted.

"What the hell, Ma?!" Jane yelled back, standing up.

"I thought you were dead! Or dying. Or _something!_"

"Jesus, what gave you such a stupid idea?"

"You're kidding me. Jane, you haven't taken a lunch break in three years, much less a sick day! I figured you were lying in a ditch somewhere too proud to tell anybody!"

Jane rolled her eyes.

"It's no big deal, Ma. Just…needed a break."

She paused, her eyes darting to the clock on the wall. _Shit_.

"Which I can't really do with you around," she added pointedly.

"Really? You scare me half to death and then kick me out? You're lucky I love you"

"That's what they tell me," Jane mumbled, slumping back down on the couch.

"Fine. I'll leave. But I'm sending your brother over later to check on you."

"Please don't, Ma."

"Why not?"

Jane hesitated.

"I'm going out."

"Don't you lie to me," her mother warned sternly.

"I'm not! You can send him over, but I promise you I won't be here."

Angela narrowed her eyes as she studied her daughters face.

"Fine. Just next time could you maybe give me a heads-up?"

Jane nodded, closing her eyes, waiting for the sound of her front door closing. Not much later, she drifted off, fading away as someone new came to the foreground.

Vanessa jolted awake, instantly aware of her new surroundings. _She actually let me out_. In front of her, three things were spread out on the coffee table. The first was a video camera, the second the GPS, and the third…was a picture. In it, a large group of people were huddled together with wide grins on their faces. Each face had a name and a description scrawled messily near it. _Angela, mother. Frank, father. Frankie and Tommy, brothers. Korsak, boss. Frost, partner. Maura and Riley, friends._

She took a moment to study it, memorizing their faces. Her eyes lingered on Maura; the honey-blonde was stunning, her hair splayed out in loose curls, her cheeks flushed from what looked like a night of drinking. She was laughing at someone…but…_why was she so special?_ Didn't matter.

She needed out. Now. To run, to drink, to get laid, _something_ to let out her pent up energy. She grabbed the camera and GPS, heading for the door.

_Wait…what does she look like…?_

Vanessa was struck with a strong wave of curiousity, running to the bathroom and flicking on the light.

_Damn. Jane…hot. Hell, _I'm_ hot._

She turned her head, rolling it carefully to get a look from all angels. She turned around then looked back, the new angel exaggerating the sharpness of her jaw, her cheek bones. She ran her fingers through her hair, when something caught her eye. She pulled her hair away from her neck to reveal a tattoo just below her hairline. Turning on the camera, she pointed it at the mirror, her other hand still holding her hair back.

"_Shit_, Rizzoli. You got some nice ink. Where'd you get it?" she asked with a sharp laugh. "Didn't think you had it in you."

Her voice…ugh. _So_ sexy. She turned off the camera and headed out.

Rounding the corner to the parking lot, she rammed right into someone, but didn't stop, continuing toward a row of cars.

"Jane?"

She turned her head to look at the guy.

"Oh…hey…Frankie?"

"Umm…"

He stared at her for a moment, unable to answer.

"I'm going out," she said simply, not bothering to wait for an actual response.

"That's what Ma said."

"So you should've listened."

"She's worried about you…" he said carefully, his eyes narrowing as they continued their sweeps up and down her body.

"Well Ma needs to shove her head back up her ass and mind her own damn business."

She turned back to her task at hand, hitting the call button on her keys and scanning for the lights.

"What're you doing? Your car's right there."

Vanessa looked where he was pointing, then cleared her throat.

"I, uhh, I knew that," she muttered, pushing past him to get to it. "Now go home, Frankie."

She sped off, and was quick to find a good club, settling down for tequila shots. Guys flocked her as she started, offering to shoot with her. She let them, drinking until she was sure the guys around her were on the edge of passing out. She barely felt a buzz. This was nice. Really nice. She let them drag her to the dance floor, let them take turns grinding up on her. It was her way of scouting.

To her dismay, Jane's body didn't respond. All the guys she wanted to screw, to fuck senseless, no reaction from her body. Not a twang, not a hiccup. She groaned as she pushed the final guy away. _**Fuck**_**.** She strolled back to the bar, aggravated. A new woman was sitting not too far away, staring unabashedly at her. Vanessa let herself do the same, her eyes dragging slowly up the woman's body. She was rewarded with a pang. A single, pathetic pang in her center.

_Really? What the hell is wrong with your sex drive, woman?! Did you get fixed or something?_

She threw her money at the bartender and stormed out. What a waste of a great body. And a great night. She had all that energy and nowhere to put it anymore.

Then her mind jolted. There were footsteps behind her. To anyone else, they would've been silent, lost in the noise of the city, but she heard them. Heard them loud and clear. _Perfect_.

She ducked into an alley, gleeful that the footsteps continued to follow her. She slowed to let them catch up, and nearly laughed in excitement as she was shoved up against the wall.

"Gimme your money, bitch."

"Look man," she drawled, "I don't want any trouble, now."

"Then give me your money."

She felt a gun push into her back and she couldn't help it. She let out a dark laugh.

"Oh, this is _great_!" she exclaimed, pushing him off her easily.

He stumbled backward, barely able to keep his balance. He persisted, though, pointing the gun back at her.

"Last chance," he said warily.

"You're right. It is," she said with a grin. "But no matter. I dare you. Do it. Pull that trigger. What's one more dead girl in the streets of Boston?"

The question shocked him, his gun lowering slightly.

"Better yet, I bet I can catch that bullet and beat your face in and still have time to catch the shell casing before it hits the ground."

His eyes narrowed and the gun steadied as he raised it in anger.

"You making fun of me?!"

She grinned wickedly, a twinkle in her eye.

"YES,' she exclaimed, drawing out the word. "Whatcha gonna do about it, bitch?"

He didn't even mean to, but he pulled the trigger. And she didn't disappoint. It was so fast, no one could've seen it, but there she stood, staring at the bullet and casing resting in her palm, the mugger unconscious and bloody on the ground beside her. She stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh before heading back to her home.

Jane groggily came to in her bed, grumbling at the familiar feeling of a hangover settling around her forehead. She waited there a few more moments before sitting up. The camera was in her hand. Rubbing her eyes, she turned it on, rewinding to the beginning. She yelped and dropped the camera at the image she saw. That wasn't her! Well…it was…but…

She gingerly picked the camera back up, examining the video still. The woman there looked just like her. But her hair, it was darker…Her eyes had no irises….just black pupils…She started the video. "_Shit, Rizzoli. You got some nice ink! Where'd you get it?"_

Jane's fingers flew to her neck. She'd never gotten a tattoo. Running to the bathroom, she flung her hair aside. Nope…nothing. She squinted at the video screen…There was definitely something there on Vanessa's neck.

Instead of dwelling, she unpaused the video. It cut to Vanessa sitting on her bed. Light was streaming through the window behind her. "_Okay, why didn't you tell me you were a robot? How do you _live_ without sexual desires Jane?! I mean, my God, I have never felt so little response in my life! And I'm not even sure I've ever had a body before!" _Vanessa groaned on the screen. "_Oh. And I kinda…sorta…reverse mugged a guy. But it was self-defense! Technically. Mostly….I didn't kill him."_

The video cut off. Jane made a face to no one in particular. Why had she agreed to this?


	4. Mending Bridges

Maura sat at the café, gloomily sipping her coffee as she stared at the wall. She _should've_ been reading her file, writing her report, but she was distracted. Angela approached and sat down with her quietly. They stayed in silence for a long moment, Maura not even bothering to look over. Angela was the first to speak.

"When Jane went through puberty…there's no denying she was a menace. Being cranky _and_ head-strong is never a good combination, dear—"

"She's getting better," Maura said blankly.

"What?"

"She's relaxing again. Smiling, laughing. Haven't heard her yell in a week, Angela."

The older woman didn't say anything; she just looked sadly at Maura as she continued.

"And I feel selfish. I should be happy she's betting better, but…"

Maura couldn't say the rest, taking in a deep breath, letting it out painfully slow.

"But she's not getting better around you," Angela finished quietly.

The M.E. nodded, shaking a few hot tears onto her cheeks.

"It's stupid and selfish and…I feel like a child! But I want her back. She's avoiding me like the plague! And I could deal with that when she treaded everyone else like that. And…and I don't know. I feel like I did something and if I just know what…I could apologize. Tell her I didn't mean it…"

Angela pulled her into a hug, rubbing the honey-blonde's back until she felt burning tears seeping through her shirt.

"She'll come around, Maura. If she cares about you half as much as I think she does, she'll be back."

Jane watched the exchange from across the room, unable to hear what was being said, but sure she was the reason for Maura's pain. Maybe…maybe she could handle it. In the last few weeks, all the energy Vanessa was expending kept her pretty far gone during the day. Maybe something innocent would be okay.

She took a few deep breaths, calming her heart rate before entering the café as smoothly as possible. Neither woman noticed her until she cleared her throat lightly. They jumped apart, Maura looking at her with sad, slightly frightened eyes. Jane hated seeing fear in the beautiful hazel, but it was unmistakable.

"Hey…" Jane managed to say timidly.

"Hello," Maura mumbled.

Angela got up without a word and left. Jane didn't take the free seat though, standing at a safe distance from the honey-blonde.

"Did you, umm…maybe wanna go for a run tomorrow morning?"

Maura tried to disguise the hope in her eyes as she looked away.

"Morning from who's perspective?" she asked quietly.

Jane chuckled.

"Your kinda morning. Does 5 work?"

The M.E. looked hesitantly back at Jane, who was looking at her expectantly, like a giddy child. She looked innocent. Sincere. With a hopeful shine in her chocolate eyes that melted Maura's heart.

Maura finally nodded, the tiniest smile appearing. Jane's face lit up and she bent down and pulled Maura into a bear hug. Bad idea. She caught the scent of Maura's shampoo, felt her soft skin, and she nearly passed out there. She jumped away, trying to mask the sudden jerk with a quick wave as she ran away. It worked enough, as Maura didn't seem to look hurt, just slightly confused.

Jane pulled the camera from her pocket as she walked briskly away, turning it on.

"I need you to give me 4am to 7pm, tomorrow, okay? You can get the extra three hours on the weekend."

She snapped the camera shut and shoved it into her pocket. It was strange, what happened when she disappeared. Not…disappeared, necessarily. But when she wasn't conscious. She could not see what Vanessa did, could not feel anything, but both of them seemed to be able to keep track of time. How, she did not know, but it worked. But sometimes they did things to bring the other forward. Sometimes Jane woke up at a bar, her face on the counter, other times she woke up in an alley. So far she'd been able to keep any of Vanessa's unscheduled visits away, but she wasn't really sure how.

"Hey!" Korsak called brightly when she appeared in the bullpen.

She smiled at him.

"Hey, old man."

"I can still outshoot you any day," he muttered defensively.

Rolling her eyes, she slumped back into her chair.

"Any progress?" he asked carefully, gauging her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

She sighed heavily, sinking further down into the chair.

"I guess. Barely. I got about an inch in a fifty mile race," she mumbled in a defeated sort of way as she watched Maura from across the room.

"Better than at the start."

Jane gave him a look.

"Well aren't you Mr. Fortune Cookie today?"

It was his turn to smirk at her. She smiled back at him before returning her attention to Maura. The M.E. had stepped into the elevator, and Jane couldn't help but smile warmly at her, even though she couldn't see. Maura was standing straighter, glowing a little more. Progress.

By the end of her shift, Jane was worn. She was tired and sore from all the driving she'd done, going from one of the victim's family members to the next. But all the work had made her brave. She made her way down to the morgue to find the body all by itself. She padded carefully through the room, careful to be silent as she stuck her head in Maura's office.

The M.E. was asleep on her couch, curled slightly into herself. Jane's features softened as she looked at the innocent woman. She took a step closer, waiting to see if anything would happen. With her asleep, Jane felt herself more at ease. She perched gently on the edge of the couch, close to Maura's torso. She brushed the hair from Maura's face, and, unable to help herself, she leaned in and kissed her cheek, letting her lips linger on the soft skin.

Finally, she pulled away and stood up to go, when she realized something. Maura would stay here all night. Even if Jane woke her up, Maura was cautious. She never drove unless she was fully aware. Damn it. She couldn't leave her to sleep on the couch. With a long sigh, she walked back to Maura, gently scooping her up into her arms and heading for the parking lot.

She met Frost on her level, thank God, and he helped her open the door and place Maura in.

"You're a good friend, Jane."

She laughed sadly.

"I'm a crappy friend, Frost. Just ask Maura."

He sensed the touchy subject and backed off, wishing her good night as he backed away. Jane drove home quickly, breaking more than a few speed limits. She couldn't have cared less as she pulled into her spot and pulled Maura from her car. Taking her back in her arms she made the painfully slow ascension up the stairs to her apartment, thankful for once that Vanessa failed to lock her door. She tucked Maura into her bed and headed for the couch. Wait. Damn. She didn't sleep anymore. She let out a frustrated groan. She went back to the bedroom and opened the door, locking it from the inside before closing the door again. That way Vanessa couldn't get in, but Maura could get out without even knowing the door was locked. But just in case….She scrawled a note down and went back to her super-locked closet. She shut the door and punched in the key, placing herself down on the floor carefully. She was sick of all the bruises she was getting from falling.

Vanessa awoke to find herself in the familiar cage. Fuck. What did she do? Did she break a rule? She quickly checked the video for any clues, but there was only footage of Jane asking for a time switch…Digging through her pockets, she found a note.

_Had visitors over that wouldn't leave. Needed a safe spot to change. Sorry. The code is 357159._

Oh. That was…thoughtful of her.

She stood and typed in the code, half-expecting it not to work, but the lock disengaged and she grinned. Sweet. With that, she rushed out, swiping the keys from the counter and exiting, completely unaware of the closed bedroom door that hid the sleeping honey-blonde.

* * *

**I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how wonderful you are, all you wonderful readers. I love hearing from all of you, and I all hope you continue liking this story. I've had it stuck in my head for years, lol, so it's great to just get it all down. But to be honest, I'm rather interested in where you all think the story's going. Either way, I send my love to each and every one of you, and I look forward to updating this soon.**


	5. So Close

Maura woke up screaming, something she'd been doing recently. Dennis still plagued her nightmares, and for the first couple weeks Jane had been there, lying next to her in wait. Ready to hold her tight and rock her back to sleep. But as of late, no one was there. She expected nothing less today, but Jane knocked furiously on the door.

"Maura?!" she half yelled, panic in her voice.

The M.E. looked around, finally aware that she was in Jane's apartment.

"You can come in, Jane…" Maura mumbled, hurt that Jane wouldn't even enter a room without her permission.

There was a long pause.

"I can't," Jane said pathetically. "I mean, if you want me in there, I'll bust down the door, but…I really like my security deposit in full."

She rattled the door handle to prove her point. Maura's brow furrowed pensively as she stood and opened the door.

"You locked me in your bedroom?" she asked in shock as the brunette came into view, standing awkwardly stiff in front of the doorframe.

"Not really, no. I locked me out."

"Why?"

Jane hesitated at this, clasping her hands securely together behind her.

"There was someone…suspicious lurking around. I, uhh…just wanted to make sure you were safe. And then well…I couldn't get back in."

Maura waited for Jane's eyebrow to twitch, but it didn't. She grinned and nearly jumped into the detective's arms, clinging tightly around Jane's neck as she let herself cry.

"He…he's still in there Jane. He's in my head and I can't get him out," she whimpered.

Jane's arms automatically circled around Maura's waist, her eyes closing as she counted her breaths, fighting her rising heart rate. She focused on helping Maura, whispering gentle comforts into her hair and waiting for the crying to subside. The M.E. let out a shaky sigh, another feeble wave of sobs hitting her as another problem surfaced.

"Why'd you leave me?" she whispered pathetically, her fingers fisting in Jane's hair, holding her steady.

At the moment, Jane wasn't worried about Vanessa. The woman was weak, worn out by a night of drinking, evident to Jane from yet another hangover headache.

"I'm sorry…" was all Jane could get from her mind, breathed out in a broken whisper.

She let her lips brush softly over Maura's cheek as she pulled away, leaning back only to press them more firmly to Maura's skin. But then she backed off, spinning on her heels and rushing away to the kitchen, leaving Maura hot and bothered by herself.

"Jane…?" Maura managed to ask, confusion in her voice.

Jane's head reappeared as she leaned back into the hall.

"Are you gonna change?" she asked expectantly, her eyes running up and down Maura's body. "You can't be late for our morning date, now can you?"

A hopeful smile flickered onto Maura's face, lighting up her hazel eyes, before it disappeared again. Keeping her composure, she went swiftly back in Jane's room to find her spare clothes. When she returned, Jane was waiting at the door, two waters in hand, smiling ever so slightly.

"Let's kill it," she said, tossing Maura a water and holding the door for her.

Maura couldn't help but beam at her, skipping into a run as they started off. By the end of their run, they had fallen back into their natural rhythm, joking and laughing, talking all the while until they had made it back to Jane's apartment. As Jane closed the door behind them, she checked her watch.

"Well, shit. We're cutting it close…You shower. I can get one after work."

"You sure?"

Jane gave the sincerest smile she could muster.

"Of course."

The second Maura was out of the room, she let out the breath she'd been holding. Keeping herself calm was a harder feat then she'd thought. No way she could keep it up all day.

The drive to work was painful, Maura her usual giddy self as she kept up a constant chatter. Jane wished she could enjoy the lecture like she always used to, but being in such a confined space with the M.E. was proving to be distracting.

She pulled to a stop in front of the station, parking and hopping out without a word.

"Jane?"

The brunette stopped and turned back.

"I'll see you around?" Maura asked carefully.

Jane smiled sadly at her, nodding.

"Yeah. See you."

She quickly turned and fled, immediately regretting it. _God, Rizzoli, you're such a jerk. Face her. TELL HER._ There had to be a way…Maybe she needed to figure it out for herself before she told Maura. It'd be easier.

The rest of her day was spent at her desk, throwing ideas back and forth with Frost as they went over evidence again and again.

"Damnit Frost, we've been through everything. And there's nothing. I can't even think straight anymore.

"I dunno, Jane. Maybe we're missing something. Someone."

"I can't…" Jane muttered. "I need a break."

"So come to lunch with me."

Jane nearly jumped out of her skin as Maura's voice came from behind her. She needed to put a bell on the honey-blonde…What really did it for her though, was a soft hand went comfortingly to her arm, moving in gentle circles on her exposed upper arm. She cringed away as she felt adrenaline coursing through her, wishing instantly that she hadn't.

"I'm sorry," Maura said coldly, "I forgot I'm just a play thing for you. Use me when you need me."

Jane swiveled in her chair to protest, but Maura was already walking away.

"Maura!" she called in frustration.

She sighed, getting up and chasing Maura to the elevator, slipping in before the doors could close. They stayed silent as the elevator went down a floor, and in a moment of bravery, Jane pulled the emergency stop before the door could open.

"C'mon, I didn't mean to—"

"I don't know if that makes it better or worse!" Maura yelled. "Did I do something to you?"

"No!" Jane assured. "Nothing, I just…I don't know."

"Well then everything's better, isn't it?" Maura snapped. "You don't know so we should all just pretend nothing's wrong! Do you even like me?"

"Yes! Yes, you're the best friend I've ever had—"

"So why in the hell am I the only thing you've let go of?!"

"I wanna tell you! I do! I just…I don't know how—"

"Stop, Jane, just stop. I am tired of you lying or avoiding or whatever it is you're doing! Tell me now, or I'll stop. I'll stop trying and leave you alone," she threatened, taking a few steps toward Jane, backing the brunette further into the wall.

"Maur…" Jane warned.

"You treat me like I'm contagious!" she yelled exasperatedly, reaching her hand up to prove a point, her eyes saddening as Jane leaned away from the touch.

"Stop…" Jane threatened, trying to side-step.

The M.E. blocked her roughly, slamming her hand against the wall, caging Jane in the corner of the tiny elevator. Their eyes were level, Maura's determined ones staring into Jane's frightened ones. The detective's chest was rising and falling sharply, her eyes darkening. Maura watched Jane's gaze lower, then lift up again in an internal battle. The brunette's eyes closed, her lips pressing tightly together in restraint.

Maura felt her own heart pounding, her body tingling as she held impossibly still.

"Jane…?" she asked in a strained whisper.

"Maura…."Jane repeated in her same warning tone.

But Maura was done listening. More importantly, done waiting.

She closed their distance, slow enough to let Jane know, fast enough to showcase her anger. To her surprised, Jane kissed back, with almost as much force.

Jane's world was spinning as lips tugged at her own heatedly. She tried to find a hold of some kind on the wall, to steady herself, but she found nothing, her knees buckling slightly as her mind clouded, as her head ached painfully. Shit.

She shoved past Maura roughly, opening the elevator door and dashing for somewhere safe as she felt a jolt inside her. There was no stopping Vanessa this time around, her head pounding mercilessly as she tried to widen the distance between her and Maura. She stumbled into the stairwell, grabbing the railing for support. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Vanessa sat up, putting her head in her hand, shaking it slightly to rid herself of the haziness.

"What the hell, Rizzoli…?" she mumbled.

She tried to get up, only to be struck by a wave of dizziness and slipped back to the ground. Where was she? This wasn't the stairs in their apartment building…She managed to pull herself to a sitting position, examining the plain walls. And then she smelled it. A perfume her body remembered, sending delicious chills down her spine.

"Jane?!"

Heels clacked closer until the woman she remembered as Maura walked carefully into the stairwell. Vanessa felt her mouth open in a silent moan as her body lit o fire. Waves of blinding, searing need coursed through her veins, as her eyes took in the image of the stunning honey-blonde. Her center was throbbing so forcefully by the time her eyes got to Maura's face, she had to squirm to try to suppress it against her own legs. She let her head roll back as she laughed loudly in dark amusement.

"What is so funny?" Maura snapped angrily at the brunette laying on the ground.

What was wrong with Jane? Did she not care? Was she sickened or frightened or….Jane frustrated Maura so much sometimes.

She reached for Jane, grabbing her arm and yanking her up.

"Whoa…" Vanessa breathed, Maura's burning touch flowing right to her core.

She laughed again as Maura shoved her backwards.

"Hey, Maura!" she said casually, grinning.

The fuming Maura froze, livid.

"Did you just—" she sputtered. "_Hey_?! That's all you have to say?" she nearly shrieked.

"Uhh…how's your day going?"

Maura's eyes narrowed at her, inspecting. Jane's eyes were the same hue of arousal, black as night, but she was acting like nothing was happening, like nothing _happened._ What she failed to notice was now, now Jane towered over her.

"I cannot believe you Jane! Never pegged you for the transparent type," she glowered.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed back at Maura as she thought, then they widened in understanding.

"Ohhhhh! Something happened!"

Maura's jaw dropped in shock, horror even, as she stuttered, blurting incoherent curses. Vanessa herself was having trouble focusing, her body hyperaware, distracting wetness pooling in her underwear at the sound of Maura's tantalizing voice. Even angry it sounded…God it was like a drug, her body shivering as she thought of all the wonderful things she could do to the body in front of her.

No. There was a microscopic part of her that told her no. Not because she liked Jane or respected her, but because Maura was a rule. If she broke a rule, Jane would most definitely fight back, kill her if she worked hard enough, and she couldn't risk it.

But as her eyes wandered back up and down Maura's body, her resolve weakened. She no longer heard the angry comments streaming from the honey-blonde's mouth as she thought of undressing her. God, she couldn't take it, her muscles tightening to keep her involuntary squirms to a minimum. Don't do anything dumb. Don't do it.

Her phone buzzed and the sound made Maura's words fall out. She just looked at the brunette pathetically, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"A…are you going to answer that?" she sniffled.

Vanessa took a deep breath. The woman looked so vulnerable, so….so completely fuckable.

"I thought we were sorting this out," Vanessa said calmly.

She hadn't meant to be funny, but Maura laughed bitterly, daintily wiping at the corners of her eyes as the tears escaped.

"Don't patronize me, Jane. Just go, get the bad guy."

Vanessa shrugged. Fine. Easy enough. She turned and walked up the stairs as she answered the phone.

"Hello?"  
"Jane?" a confused voice came from the other end.

"….Yeah?"

"Oh. Sorry. You answered your phone funny."

"Distracted," she mumbled.

"Well clear your head. We got a location on our perp and we're off to take him down."

"Okay."

There was a pause on the other line.

"Aren't you coming?" they finally said.

"Oh. Yes. That's my job."

"We're out front…"

She hung up and dashed across the front lobby. Sure enough, Jane's partner….what was it? Snow? Frost…was sitting in an unmarked squad car, waiting. She exited the building and got in quickly. He handed her a tablet.

"Witness ID'd him. Name's Tom Decker."

Vanessa inspected the mug shot and information.

"300 pounds? Really?"  
Frost chuckled as they screeched away, sirens blaring.

"You've taken down bigger."

Huh. Guess Jane was strong too. Not _as _strong, but Vanessa gave her credit. She spotted the guy before Frost did, and pointed him out. It was a little late, though, as Tom saw the car and tore off down a pedestrian street.

"Shit," Frost yelled, throwing the car into park and flinging his door open.

Vanessa followed suit, jumping out of the car and running after him.

"He's heading for the stash house, Jane. I'll keep on him; try to cut him off on Seventh."

She agreed, even though she could catch him easily. It wasn't really something normal people could do, so she jogged lightly to the intersection. Sure enough, the guy was there. She stuck her arm out as he was about to pass her, clotheslining him to the ground. He stayed sprawled there, coughing to try to get air back in his lungs.

Frost rushed up, bending over to put his hands on his knees as he panted.

"Damn, Jane. Nice."

He straightened up, and as his breathing returned to normal, his brow furrowed.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?" Vanessa asked, instantly on guard from his tone.

"You, uhh….you look different."

She let out a nervous laugh, waving him off.

"No!" she denied.

He squinted at her, examining.

"Are…are you wearing _makeup?_"

All she could do was sigh in relief, laughing again, more lightly this time.

"Yeah, Frost. I'm wearing makeup."

"Did you dye your hair?"

"Temporarily," she said with a smirk and a wink. "I'm experimenting."

He broke out in a wide grin.

"Who's the lucky SOB?"

Vanessa could only roll her eyes as she headed back to the squad car.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Aww, c'mon, Janie!" he protested, sprinting to catch up with her.

"Just take me home, Frost. I'm exhausted."

He complied, and they drove home in silence, darkness settling in on the long drive back to the station. Vanessa felt herself drifting off with the motion of the car, cursing herself at expending so much energy before she passed out. Frost looked over quickly to see Jane had fallen asleep, but she quickly jolted awake, her hands flying to the door, gripping it tightly.

"Frost?" Jane asked groggily, trying to take in her surroundings as best as possible behind her fatigue.

"What?"

"Where are we going?"

He chuckled.

"Jesus, Jane, to the station. When you said home, I didn't think you meant literally!"

"No, no, station's fine," she slurred sleepily, clumsily sitting herself up a little higher. "So we, uhh, we caught the bad guy, did we?" she asked casually, trying to mask her genuine question, causing him to laugh again.

"Don't make me compliment you any more than I did."

Well at least Vanessa didn't screw up too bad.

They pulled up to the station and bid each other goodnight; Jane headed to her desk to grab the files from the case. Maura was in the lobby, and when their eyes locked, Jane saw an anger in the hazel eyes she didn't know Maura could possess. The honey-blonde was across the lobby in three strides, winding up and slapping Jane hard. The sound echoed loudly through the empty room. Jane winced, and so did Maura, who shook her hand out lamely, trying to get feeling back in it.

"I am done, Jane. Done with you. How _dare _you! Just…walk away like that! I thought our relationship meant enough to you that we'd least talk it out, but…it clearly doesn't mean _anything_ to you—"

"Maur, please," Jane begged. "That's not it—"

"I don't wanna hear it, Jane. I…"

She stopped talking when she saw Jane crying. Never in their entire friendship had Jane cried in front of her. She'd always leave…But there she was, her hands clenched in painful fists, fighting the urge to hug Maura, cry in her arms. She stood there, an inch from the woman she loved, only to feel completely alone, sobbing by herself.

"Don't go," she choked out. "I…I don't think I'd make it."

Maura didn't know what was going on. She didn't know what was plaguing Jane's mind, but in that moment she understood. Well…she understood enough. She saw in Jane's shining eyes that the brunette did, in fact, care. And if she left Jane, it'd be the breaking point. For some strange reason, Jane needed Maura to stay, try stay with her no matter how many times she pushed her away.

And she decided that she would. No matter how much it hurt, she'd stay, until Jane figured it out or told her, or both. She nodded carefully at Jane, her hands reaching to grip Jane's upper arms firmly.

"I won't," she finally murmured. "I won't go."

A few more tears spilled from Jane eyes, and after a brief moment, she leaned in. She leaned in so slowly, until they were millimeters apart, breathing each other's air.

Jane's watch beeped, 6:55. Her eyes closed tighter in a grimace as she stopped her forward progress. Vanessa was never late for a scheduled change. She let out a sad sigh, the breath tickling Maura's lips teasingly.

"I have to go," Jane whispered, letting her forehead rest against Maura's.

Leaving her eyes closed, Maura licked her lips, the tension between them growing until she nodded and gently pushed Jane away. The brunette let her eyes linger on Maura a while longer as she backed up, walking through the front doors and turning to head down the steps.


	6. Things You Can't Take Back

_It had been a late night. Her car had been towed, but she felt safe enough, her gun in full view, to walk home, when she'd heard a commotion. Peering down the alley, she saw two young women going at it, throwing punches between furious yelling._

_ "Why don't you just go away?! This is_ my_ hometown. Get lost!" the brunette yelled._

_ "C'mon, don't be like that. We need you. Just come back," the blonde tried calmly, ducking passively away from each punch._

_ "No! It doesn't work like that. I'm not your bitch. I'm not gonna bend over backwards to do your every will like all your little side-kicks! So let me live my own life for once."_

_Jane approached carefully, unable to tear herself away from the exchange._

_ "Last time I left you alone, you killed someone! I won't make that mistake again."_

_ "Yeah, and neither will I. I'm off that path, remember? Reformed. And I did it all by myself. Without _you_, so I think I'm better off not coming with."_

_ "I'm not asking. I'm telling. It's your job, your life! You can't just run away—"_

_ "Blah, blah, blah! Sing a new song every once in a while! Or maybe you should try pulling whatever's stuck up your ass, out."_

_The two exchanged a few more punches, angry shoves._

_ "I try to give you the benefit of the doubt, try chalking your actions up to your past catching up with you, but I was being naïve .You're just a coward. Haven't faced a damn thing in your life."_

_ "I faced you."_

_ "Yeah. You did. And it did good! _Please_ come back. The girls look up to you; they need someone new to help them. We need to protect them—"_

_ "No, _you_ need to protect them. That's not in my job description. Never was, never will be, so stop pushing, will you?"_

_ "Something's coming. Something really bad."_

_ "Did your boy-toy tell you that? Because you know, he's a real fountain of truth, that one. With such reliable sources."_

_ "She saw something too."_

_ "Oh, your high and mighty right hand man saw something, did she? Because she's also high on the list of people to trust! She tried to end the world! END IT."_

_ "Last time I checked, that was on your résum_é_ too!"_

_ "Alright. Fine. You got me there, but I'm not claiming to be trustworthy! I just wanna be left alone. I can fight my own battles here. Try for redemption."_

_ "There's no redemption for you," the blonde laughed darkly. "Your redemption died a long time ago. Died with the only man I ever loved."_

_ "And that's _my_ fault? He helped me. More than you ever did."_

_The blonde pushed the brunette hard, knocking her back into the brick wall. She leaned in, grabbing the brunette by the collar, their lips inches apart as she whispered threateningly: "You lost your freedom a long time ago. Just deal with it."_

_The blonde dropped the other woman roughly, who threw her hands up in frustration._

_ "God, I just…I wish I didn't have to deal with you anymore."_

_Have Faith._

_Have._

_Faith._

Jane awoke with a yelp. Even if she didn't sleep, technically, she certainly dreamed. The same thing. Over and over and over. It was the last night she had lived before Vanessa.

She yawned, stretching as she sat up. And then a feeling came over her. She'd been feeling it a lot recently. Like she was being watched. Her head snapped to the open window, but no one was there. It was odd for her; usually when her gut told her something, it didn't take long for her to find, to learn, but this…she'd been feeling stalked for weeks, and yet she couldn't find them. It burned into the back of her head when she walked, but every time she turned around, no one seemed familiar. When she drove, no car followed her. It was driving her crazy. Was she wrong?

Maybe the woman in her head was messing with other feelings. Hopefully not. It meant she'd have to tell Maura sooner rather than later.

She made her way to work, then immediately down to Maura's office. She let her knuckles rap lightly on the open door, standing politely in the doorframe and waiting for approval to enter.

Maura looked up, giving a side smile before looking back down. Jane entered slowly, her hands shoved in her pockets.

"Did you wanna do lunch? I only have a half day today."

Maura nodded.

"And I seem to recall there's an X-Files marathon tonight. Did you maybe want to order in and watch? I recall you telling me you liked the show…"

Liked it? No. Loved it. Damn. Damn, damn, damn Vanessa. She had asked for more time today, since a few days ago, Jane had encroached in her time, waking up in a night club bathroom. She shook her head, sad to see the disappointment in Maura's eyes. She hoped Maura could see the same disappointment in hers.

"I can't. I made plans…"

Maura nodded a little too quickly, standing up.

"That's fine. Lunch is fine."

She walked swiftly away, putting a hand on Jane's shoulder as she passed. Jane got it. The poor woman was trying as hard as she could to stay by her side. Jane didn't know how she could do it…there'd been so much rejection in the past week alone. How they could hold this up for a lifetime, she was not sure.

By lunchtime, though, Maura was better. She was relaxed and grinning, laughing at every sarcastic remark Jane made. It was a fleeting moment of lightness in the heavy world they lived in, and both of them were appreciative of the other's effort.

Jane stood as Maura did, reaching for her and pulling her in for a hug.

"I love you, Jane," Maura mumbled into her shoulder, squeezing her tighter.

"I know."

Her heart burned in her chest. The way Maura said it felt platonic. Yet they had kissed. Yet they hadn't done anything about it. Yet they both wanted to. Everything was so confusing, and she didn't want to give Maura anything else to worry about.

"I love you too," she murmured, kissing Maura's cheek before pulling away.

The action sent a wave of need crashing over her, as the burning of Maura's skin lingered on her lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jane said quickly, exiting the café quickly, before Maura could say anything else.

Vanessa woke up in the car, letting out a sigh.

"Really?" she muttered to herself, sitting up straighter. "You really couldn't have driven home?"

She started the car and drove home, changing quickly before heading out. She was excited for her extra long night.

A few hours and a couple dozen drinks later, Vanessa was finally starting to feel the burn. The burn of Jane Rizzoli threatening to come back. To her, it was exhilarating, to hold the power, to fight her back. To know that any minute, she might go to far made her skin tingle with anticipation. She finished off her rum and coke, slipping off the bar stool and making her way back to the dance floor. People quite honestly _swarmed_ her. She took hold of a particularly small woman, grinding against her, hands trailing down her pale thighs. That's when someone called her name. This couldn't end well. She looked over to see Maura peering at her. The honey-blonde was still in her work clothes, a professional looking pencil skirt, a bright top, and her dress jacket. She looked so damn classy compared to everyone else, and God it turned her on.

"Maura! What're…what're you doing here?"

"Riley called me. Said I needed to come pick you up before you got kicked outta this place."

"Riley?" She vaguely remembered the face that went with the name.

"Yeah….Are you here with someone?" she asked loudly over the music.

"No," Vanessa called back, weaving her way through the crowd to get to Maura.

"Oh…" Maura mumbled, her face falling.

Vanessa knew she'd said something wrong, understanding that Jane had probably turned down an invitation.

"Well…okay, maybe I was," Vanessa said, stumbling slightly as Maura lead her to the door.

She saw Maura's torn look, relieved that Jane hadn't lied, but upset that she was with someone. Oh…were Jane and Maura? Did they…? This was too complicated for her. She let Maura put her in her car, let her drive her home, and let her help her into the front door.

"Thanks Maura," she whispered, pulling Maura into a hug.

Maura hugged back tentatively, until Vanessa let her hands wander lower, getting a solid grip on her ass. The M.E. pushed her back angrily.

"Stop it, Jane! I'm sick of your mixed signals! Either you want something with me or you don't!"

"I…uhh….I'm sorry?"

"You should be! You go around avoiding me half the time, and the rest you're so sweet and kind and you pretend like nothing's wrong! But there's a _lot_ wrong! And when you're being nice…I don't…I don't understand, Jane. Do you want to be friends or more than friends or less? It is killing me to wait, and I wish you'd just tell me what in the _hell_ is going on!"

Vanessa closed her eyes as Maura yelled, swaying slightly as the pull of the alcohol took her further away, further down. And by the time Maura had finished, she'd had enough. She shoved Maura against her door and kissed her hungrily, angrily even. She felt Maura stiffen, putting her hands up to block her, but then she relaxed. Her hands fisted in her dark hair, yanking her roughly closer. Vanessa let her fingers brush over heated thighs, feeling them strain, flex for more. She felt her resolve slipping as Maura forced her tongue into her mouth, felt her want increasing as hands traveled down her back. She hooked her fingers under the hem of Maura's skirt, hiking it up around her waist, leaning in to press their bodies together. Her lips trailed nipped down Maura's throat, tugging whimpers from the M.E. as she sucked her pulse-point. It spurred her forward as another burning headache threatened to take her down into darkness, her hand slipping slowly up her thigh, feeling the smaller woman's body tense in anticipation. She brushed her fingers over unbelievably damp underwear, Maura's breath hitching as she clutched Vanessa tighter to her. Vanessa repeated the action, earning another gasp.

"Oh God," she breathed, her fingers once again finding purchase in Vanessa's hair as she yanked her back up, capturing her lips in a forceful kiss. The sudden movement along with the alcohol made the room spin, and Vanessa chuckled. She pressed harder against Maura through the fabric of her underwear, only to have the woman moan into her lips.

"Jane…"

Shit. That was sobering. Really, painfully sobering. But could she stop? Wouldn't that just be one more mixed signal for the poor M.E. Didn't matter. It was the right move. She dropped Maura, trying not to look disappointed. Maura stared up at her, cheeks flushed, gasping for breath, a questioning in her eyes.

"Do you…do you not want to?"

Vanessa grimaced at the question. What would Jane say? What in the hell would Jane say? She blanked. She tried stuttering out an excuse, but it came out as a mess of indiscernible curses. All she could finally do was push past Maura and out the door. She didn't look back, to see if Maura was following. She didn't want to know. She had just run out of her own apartment…And she had just led on a woman who would in fact, not be led on, if only it had been Jane in her body. So in fact, leading her on was leading her off, and leading her off was leading her on. Damn it. Damn all the confusing shit. She felt a gnawing guilt settle in the pit of her stomach as she started her car and drove off.

Jane awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing. She grumbled to herself, searching blindly for it, too stubborn to open her eyes. She had to pry them open, however to read the text.

_Frost: Where the hell are you? I saw your car in the lot. Cavanaugh's gonna have a fit if you're not here for briefing._

She sighed, forcing herself to sit up. Her back cracked with the roll of her spine and she groaned. Had Vanessa really _slept _in her car? It didn't make sense. She checked the camera to see there was a new video. The icon was of Vanessa in the same dimly lit parking garage.

"_I'm sorry. God I am soo, so sorry, Jane. Please don't kill me or do whatever you wanna do when you're mad. It wasn't my fault. It's…it's five o'clock in the morning and I'm gonna try and force myself to sleep. Maybe get you up sooner. Please. Please don't destroy me."_

Jane's brow furrowed. Vanessa wasn't the apologetic type. Which worried her. What could she have done that was so bad she needed to apologize? Profusely. Would she walk into work, only to get jumped and arrested for murder? Her heart began to race as more and more terrible possibilities flashed before her eyes. She let out a forced sigh. _Can't do anything about it now, Rizzoli. Just face the music._

She got out of her car and walked carefully up the stairs to the homicide division. No one arrested her. No one looked at her differently….It was a step in the right direction, right?

Hours later, Jane sat at her desk, one hand tangled in her hair, her other hand tapping her pen repeatedly on the arm of her chair. What happened? What on Earth happened? It was driving her mad, and she couldn't think of anything else. But all her worries had led her to one conclusion.

She had to tell Maura. She had to.

How? How in the hell was she supposed to tell her? Oh, hey Maura, woman I'm falling in love with, in case you were wondering, I sometimes run off because there's someone else in my body. Yup. She just…takes over, has full reign. I let her because I'm a dumbass with nothing better to do.

Right. Because that didn't sound crazy or anything.

"Jesus, Jane. Tap that pen any harder and I think you might break it."

She jumped, the pen clattering to the floor.

"Don't do that!" she laughed, swiveling to get a better look at Korsak. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "Just wanted to ask if you wanted to go out drinking with us tonight."

She grinned. How wonderful. She'd already asked Vanessa for Friday night.

"Yeah, of course. I need a night to unwind."

"Great. We'll meet you there around 7. You can bring Maura if you want," he teased, his eyebrows twitching up suggestively.

She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Korsak."

"What? I can't help what I see. When you gonna make your move?" he asked as he started to back away.

"Who says it's my move to make?" Jane scoffed, feigning offense.

He put his hands up defensively as he took a few more steps backward.

"Fine, fine. Pull your claws back in, Jane. Just curious!"

"Did you just call me catty?"

"I might've accidentally referenced it, yes," he admitted quickly, before turning and dashing off.

She chuckled, standing. She needed to ask Maura to come before she forgot.

Making her way down to the morgue, it was surprisingly quiet for a week that they had a body. There were no lab techs, no interns bustling around. Just…empty. She made her way to Maura's office, only to find her crying at her desk, head resting her hands as she tried to stop.

"Maura?"

The M.E.'s body seized, stopped all movement. She sat stock-still for a moment, then slowly lifted her head.

"What do you want?" she asked calmly.

"I, uhh…wanted to know if you would come to the bar with me and the guys tonight."

"I hardly think drinking is in your best interest, Jane," she muttered, standing and taking her file with her.

"What?" Jane asked stupidly, her eyes narrowing as she watched Maura pace.

"I told you I was confused!" Maura blurted, chucking the file at Jane.

The detective tried to duck, but it hit her square in the chest.

"I told you I was confused, and then you just did it again! I don't know what you want Jane! And no more actions. I want words. What. Do. You. Want?

"I…I want you, Maur. I want you as mine. I wanna kiss you, touch you—"

"So do it!" Maura yelled, opening her arms in a 'come and get it' gesture. "I'm right here, Jane. Right here, and I cannot, for the _life_ of me, understand anything you're doing."

"It's not that simple, Maura," Jane protested, only to be cut off by an angry glare.

"Seems pretty simple to me!" Maura shot back, her hands flying to her hips.

"I…I want to so, so badly, Maura. I do. I want you, but there's something…in the way."

"Didn't seem very in the way last night!"

Jane felt her jaw drop, her eyes widened.

"I…I didn't…._we_ didn't…? Did we?"

Maura's eyes narrowed at Jane's genuine concern.

"You…you don't remember?" she asked carefully.

Jane went for broke, shaking her head lightly. Maura blushed, both at the memory and in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry!" she breathed. "I knew you were drunk…I just…I didn't realize you were that drunk."

Jane heart sank. She thought she could tell Maura, but she couldn't. Not now. Not when a boiling anger was building up in her chest. Vanessa was gonna pay.

"Whatever happened, I'm sorry. It wasn't me," she managed weakly.

Maura rested a hand on her arm, looking at her sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry too. But Jane?"

The detective looked carefully into her hazel eyes.

"Don't make me wait too long."


	7. Sharing More Than Words

**A/N: Well two wonderful people have discovered the identity of Vanessa. You know who you are. You beautiful people with your beautiful minds you. I'm sending my love to you, along with a virtual hug. I hope you receive it and bask in its warmth. So yeah, thanks to all you who are sticking with it despite the confusion and pain and stuff. It's ending soon. I'll grant you some answers. Not, you know, a lot, but some. Ease the tension for now.**

**Oh and note the rating change. Not for this chapter, but what's coming. FYI.**

* * *

The two made their way over to the Dirty Robber later that evening, to find the whole crew was already seated, their usual spots open and waiting. Maura slid in first, and Jane followed, careful to keep a centimeter between them at all times.

"So Doc, how ya been? Missed seeing you around."

Maura smiled apologetically.

"I've been busy. "

"Fine, fine," Frost dismissed with a wave of his hand.

The waiter came with drinks, including Jane and Maura's drinks of choice. Riley gave a short laugh, taking a short drink from her rum and coke.

"Jane, I haven't seen you get your party on like that in a _while_," she teased.

"Shut it, Cooper," Jane grumbled, swirling her beer.

"Seriously! You were…well, I knew you were gay, but—"

Jane choked on her drink, coughing to recover.

"I, uhh, I needed a break, you know?" she sputtered, wiping the beer she spilled off her shirt.

Her friends didn't seem fazed at the revelation, though, nodding in agreement with her half-ass response. Maura saw her distress and took her hand under the table. Jane tensed, but managed to not jerk away. She smiled over at the M.E., squeezing her hand gently before turning her attention back to the gang. Riley and Frost were busy arm wrestling, Korsak squished in the seat between them.

"I regret sitting here," he mouthed to Jane, who chuckled.  
Their flexing arms tilted back and forth a couple times until Frost finally won out, jerking Riley's wrist onto the table.

"You let me win!" he protested.

She gave him a sly grin.

"You'll never know," she teased with a laugh.

Jane smiled at the two, and Maura felt the brunette no longer needed comfort, letting the scarred hand go. Her fingers accidentally brushed Jane's thigh, and the detective jumped, her knee banging into the table and causing a loud yell. She stood up and dashed off without a word, leaving the group in silence. Maura looked after her, then back to the people around her, unsure of how to proceed. All three of them pointed after Jane, and Maura blushed, scooting quickly out of the booth and off to the bathroom.

She heard Jane before she saw her, the detective mumbling angrily as she paced. When Maura rounded the corner, though, Jane was talking to a camera, not herself.

"If only I could kill you," was the only thing Maura caught before Jane sensed her presence, immediately stopping and holding the camera behind her.

"What're you doing?"

"Video diary," Jane snapped sarcastically.

Maura raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"What do you care?" Jane shot.

"You have no right to be cross with me!" Maura yelled in a burst of anger and confidence. "Now, me? I have _every _right to be angry with you, Jane! So shut up with your criticisms and sarcasm!"

"Sorry," Jane mumbled. "I…I misdirected. Sorry."

Maura didn't answer. She just nodded solemnly. They didn't look at each other. They couldn't. In the silence, Maura could hear Jane's breathing going shallow as she willed herself not to cry. Her feet betrayed her as she took a step closer to the detective, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Jane looked up to see vulnerable eyes staring at her, begging.

"Why won't you let me touch you?" she asked sadly.

That did it. She'd laid it all out there; no turning back. Jane's gaze dropped, but that didn't deter the M.E.

"Why won't you let me—"

"I don't want her coming out," Jane muttered, though she did not intend it to be out loud.

"Who?"

Jane's eyes snapped up.

"Uhh…"

"_Who, _Jane?"

All the brunette could do was shake her head weakly, her eyes dropping back to the floor. They stood in cold silence for a moment, Maura wishing desperately that she could see Jane's expression.

"Not here…" Jane finally murmured. "Take me home."

She lifted her head to look sadly at Maura.

"This…this ends here."

* * *

They sat on the edge of Maura's bed, each stiff with worry as they tensed their muscles to keep from touching.

"She's…in your head?" Maura asked, in what Jane assumed was a dumb-founded rhetorical sort of thing, but she answered anyway.

"Yeah…" Jane said quietly, kneading her palms, her eyes boring into the carpet.

Silence. Anxious silence ensued.

"Although it's rare, Jane, it's still treatable. If it's not a violent tendency, you can more than likely live a normal life after a few years at a facility—"

"_That_," Jane said sharply. "That is _exactly_ why I didn't wanna tell you, Maur! I'm not crazy!"

"I never said crazy—"

"You implied split personality. Split personality is what people call crazy. And crazy people go to crazy institutions. I'm not crazy. It's real, Maura. Real."

"I'm sure in your head it feels real, Jane—"

"You're not listening!" Jane yelled in exasperation. "There's a _physical_ change! _Physical_. It's not just in my head! Otherwise I'd totally agree with you. Ship me off to crazytown, but this is physically real!"

"You're being offensive Jane. People in institutions can be most of the time very normal—"

Jane cut her off with an angry laugh.

"Do you hear the words that come out of my mouth?!"

"I'm just…I'm worried about you, Jane. Am I allowed to be worried about you?"

"Yes, but not about the wrong things!" Jane protested.

She sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out the screenshot of Vanessa she had printed from the camera.

"Look," she instructed, thrusting the photo into Maura's hands.

Maura squinted at the picture, her eyes widening slightly, then squinting again.

"W-what?" she finally stuttered.

"I don't know."

"That's…not you," Maura whispered.

"It is."

Maura moved the picture closer to her face, inspecting it in silence.

"And I make…her come out?"

Jane swallowed.

"Umm…not…exactly," was all she could manage.

"I wanna meet her."

"What?!" Jane nearly shrieked, jumping up from the bed.

She received a glare for her outburst, and carefully perched herself back on the bed beside Maura.

"Let me meet her."

"No! That's…that's ridiculous!"

"From what you've told me, she won't hurt me. Or touch me."

"I…It's not just that, Maur. I don't like…I don't like disappearing. It makes me feel…"

"Weak?"

Jane nodded sheepishly.

"I don't think you're weak," Maura whispered, her fingers tracing the line of Jane's jaw, guiding her chocolate eyes to look at her. "I think you're strong. If _I_ were you, I'd have done something…foolish and rash. Something I would've regretted. You've held fast."

"I almost lost you," Jane mumbled.

"You were scared."

Jane nodded, her eyes finally flooding with her built up pain and fear, sending a pang of sorrow through Maura.

"Let me talk to her."

"No."

Maura sighed, crushing her lips to Jane's, knocking her back onto the bed, straddling her. Jane kissed back fervently, arching up to feel more of Maura against her. Maura's hands wandered the expanse of her body, sending shivers through Jane beneath her. She let her hips rock slightly, until Jane let out a whimper. Maura felt Jane go slack beneath her. She pulled back, her eyes narrowing at the sleeping brunette. So strange. She gently crawled off Jane's body and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

_Images of the blonde and brunette from the alley flashed through Jane's mind again. Fighting, fighting…So much anger._

"_God I just…I wish I didn't have to deal with you anymore."_

_I wish…_

Vanessa jumped up, already sitting, her heart pounding from the dream. Yeah. Jane wasn't the only one who had that dream. Every day. She rubbed her eyes, removing her hands to find hazel eyes staring at her intently. She yelped, falling out of the bed in a mess of curses and flailing limbs.

"Jesus, Maura," she breathed, clumsily standing and tousling her hair back into place.

"Vanessa?"

The woman she knew as Jane stared back at her warily for a moment before carefully placing herself back on the bed.

"Yeah…Did she, uhh…tell you?"

Maura nodded. Vanessa managed to swallow. Wow. Jane had stones, she'd give her that. And God did she have good taste in women. Her heart began to pound as her eyes studied Maura's body, perched delicately on the opposite edge of the bed.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept your eyes up here," Maura said calmly.

The woman that appeared to be Jane let out a chuckle.

"Sorry," she said with another laugh. "It's not my fault. Blame Jane. She like _craves _you, man…Me? I'm straight. Well…a…many men, one woman, kinda girl."

"Really? So you…remember your old life?"

The darker Jane shrugged, running a nervous hand through her hair.

"I mean…parts. I don't really know if I wanna remember. Everything I remember is…it's dark. It's bad. I mean, God, there's so much sex and anger and…death. I don't think I wanna go back."

Maura nodded.

"I understand that, really, but I really don't want you to stay here either."

Vanessa smirked.

"I figured."

"I don't mean to be rude…but could you maybe…leave?"

"I would love to! If I knew how."

"So you _didn't_ do this?"

The woman shook her head.

"Nope. I think Jane's got the good deal, here. She's got a body. Well…I guess I technically do. Just you know, borrowing it."

She laughed darkly, Maura eyeing her warily.

"Can…can I ask you something?" Maura asked slowly, choosing her words carefully.

Vanessa nodded, flopping herself back on the bed, resting her head on her arms.

"Do you…know how it happened?"

"How I ended up in your girlfriend's body?"

"She's hardly my girlfriend—"

"Oh, I see it in your eyes, Doctor Death. You need her more than air."

"That's off topic."

"Well on topic, I have no idea. Absolutely no idea."

"Are you human?"

"Yes," she said with a smirk.

"Do you know how old you are?"

"Twenty-three."

"Who were you?"

"I…I already told you I don't remember most of it. It's just…blurs, moments, but…it's enough to know that I used to be someone."

"Someone?"

"Vague, right? But it's something."

"And…and Jane really…wants me?"

Vanessa let her head loll back in an unrestrained laugh.

"It's insane, girly. She's on fire. Fire. The only reason I'm not jumping you right now is because she's clearly been doing some jumping of her own. It's slightly dulled. Slightly. Barely, actually."

Maura blushed.

"We haven't…I mean, we didn't…"

Vanessa reached over and put an assuring hand on Maura's arm, squeezing gently.

"I don't care. Not my body. Not my memories."

Maura searched the woman's eyes, noting for once, the difference. Her eyes were not an aroused black, but an empty black.

"Sit up," Maura said, gesturing for Vanessa to face her on her knees.

The woman complied, kneeling in front of Maura. The M.E. sat up, her eyes narrowing as she inspected the new body. She observed everything: the darker hair, the darker eyes, the slightly longer limbs. She reached out, carefully brushing hair aside, leaning in closer to view her neck. Vanessa stopped breathing, her eyes snapping shut as she felt Maura's warm breath on her lips.

"Pushing your boundaries," she managed to spit out in a strained whisper, turning her head away from Maura in restraint.

"Oh."

Maura leaned back and away.

"This is really quite incredible," she murmured, more to herself than Vanessa.

"Yeah, well…I think both me and Jane would prefer to be out of this here situation sooner rather than later."

"Wasn't your rule to not find a cure?"

"That was when I thought I was a part of her. But it's clear that I…I used to be someone else. And that makes me feel like there's a way out of this without suppressing one of us down for good…you know?"

"How…err, how does that happen?"

"The changing? No idea. I just know that I show up at 8pm every day. Unless something…triggers a change."

"She said that too. What'd you mean trigger?"

"Well…it's hard to explain, really. There are things that happen…in our lives that make us…weak. Sometimes it's literal things, like exerting a serious amount of energy….Oh, a girl slipped me a roofie the other day," she said with a laugh. "Didn't it suck for her when I passed out and then Jane woke up immediately? I would've paid to see the look on her face."

"But that's…straightforward. That drug is meant to knock you out."

"Yeah. But it's basically…anything. Alcohol makes me a little tired. Adrenaline really does the trick. Knocks me right out."

"But that's a stimulant."

"I know, right? It's like our bodies fight any drug by switching places."

"So…you think…maybe her…" Maura trailed off.

"Arousal?" Vanessa offered with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Is that the same effect as adrenaline?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"I think a big part of it is, yeah. I mean, being near you for so long is tiring, even for me, but it's not…strong enough, really. You don't see me changing. I guess that means…part of it is her clocking out."

They sat in silence for a moment as Maura absorbed the words, understood them.

"So she's…avoiding?"

"Old habits die hard," Vanessa said quietly.

"What?"

"She's been running from you for the past three years, keeping her feelings from you. I hardly think she believes that you're real. Well…that your feelings for her are real."

Maura looked down at her lap shyly, then her eyes shot back up in confusion.

"How do you know how long we've known each other?"

"We talk," Vanessa said with a shrug.

"She said you aren't in each other's heads."

The darker Jane chuckled, letting her back fall onto the bed once again.

"She told you the truth. Don't get your panties in a twist….Where'd she put her purse?"

Maura pointed off the bed, and Vanessa reached lazily over the edge of the bed, feeling around for it and retrieving their camera. She handed it to Maura, who turned it over in her hands.

"We used to use it to tell the other things of importance, like when we wanted more time, where the car was, new rules. We still do, but somewhere along the line, we just…started talking."

"Do you like her?"

She shrugged.

"More or less."

"Do you like me?"

"I don't _know_ you."

"You mean…you've never pretended to be Jane around me?"

"Umm…just the once really…with the…touching. She got pretty pissed after that. So pissed, she made it an official rule."

"What?"

Vanessa took back the camera, rewinding and hitting play, giving it back to Maura.

"_Under no circumstance will you go near Maura. You do not talk to her, do not touch her, you hear me? Stay away."_

Maura blushed. There was a fury in Jane's eyes when she spoke, something possessive.

"What changed?" she asked quietly.

"She clearly told you about me. Now you can't misconstrue any action I take as hers."

Maura shook her head, dropping the camera to the mattress, putting her head in her hands.

"This is so strange. You…you look so much like Jane. I have to keep reminding myself you're not her."

Vanessa smirked.

"Preachin' to the choir. Just don't go feeling me up and I think we'll be in the clear here," she teased. "I'll try my best to do the same."

Maura gave her a look.

"I'd appreciate that."

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"I'm guessing this wasn't a planned sort of deal?" she finally asked the honey-blonde.

Maura shook her head with a laugh.

"No…No it was more of a forced thing."

"You got any caffeine in this place?"

"Sure."

"Strong stuff?"

Maura nodded.

"Any vodka? "

"I do believe I've got some somewhere, yeah."

"Great. Can you be so kind as to give me a half espresso half vodka? Pretty please, M?"

"M?" Maura asked, wrinkling her nose. "That sounds weird."

"Sorry. I've already decided it's what you're going by. Hopefully it'll distinguish me from her, if you're not, you know, looking too closely."

Maura shrugged.

"Fair, I guess."

She left the room, and Vanessa quickly fast-forwarded the camera to the new video.

_"FUCK YOU!" Jane yelled at the camera, fire in her eyes. "I wanna put a damn bullet in you!" Jane's voice began to lower as she started pacing. "But I'm pretty sure if I shoot myself, we'll both die. And I can't have that." A couple seconds of silence passed as she paced, fuming. "If only I could kill you…"_

_ "What're you doing?" Maura's voice drifted in from off camera._

The screen went dark as the clip ended. She didn't blame Jane. If she could disappear, she would. She'd find a way, but not now. Now was Jane's time, and she was taking it up. Maura knocked before she reentered. She offered the mug to Vanessa. The woman dug a few pain killers from her pocket and swallowed them with the foul liquid tasting of bitter coffee and rubbing alcohol. She made a face, coughing lightly.

"Strong shit," she rasped.

Maura chuckled.

"You asked for it."

Vanessa just glared at her.

"She'll be out in a bit."

Taking the hint, Maura gently pulled the mug from Vanessa's grasp and exited. But she quickly stuck her head back in.

"It was…nice meeting you," she said.

Vanessa mimicked a Rizzoli fake smile.

"Yeah, yeah. You too," she dismissed with a wave.

She heard Maura laugh again as the door shut, but she was basically a goner as the room spun, chemicals mixing into her bloodstream until she was lost in the darkness.


	8. Breakthrough

**A/N: Well...This ended up being very...M. Very very M rated. So...whoops. I'm (not) sorry.**

* * *

Maura sat on the couch, the newest edition of her favorite science journal in one hand. She heard her bedroom door open and footsteps approach. They stopped directly behind her, Jane silently fuming.

"Don't you give me the silent treatment," Maura chided, casually turning her page.

"You'd deserve it," Jane mumbled.

"Aww," Maura cooed playfully. "Don't be mad."

She twisted, craning her neck to see behind her and was rewarded with a kiss. Jane's lips pressed softly to hers, lingering for long seconds, both hesitant to pull away. Their foreheads rested against each other, Jane's fingers lifting to caress Maura's soft cheek.

"How much longer do you have?" Maura murmured, pressing her cheek more firmly into Jane's hand.

"An hour," Jane said almost inaudibly.

Maura let out a sigh, slumping back onto the couch and away from Jane.

"Why?" Jane asked worriedly. "Was there something you wanted to do?" she asked as she walked around to sit next to Maura.

"No…It just seems like so little."

"I'll be back in the morning," Jane assured, placing her hands over Maura's, letting them rest in her lap.

"Will you ever have a night…to stay here?" Maura asked quietly.

"Umm…I…I don't think so. There's something…in our heads. It's like…set times. We can…negotiate a couple hours at a time, but I…I'm not sure if it's possible to switch a full twelve hours around. I mean…she could probably like…out drug herself, but every time we do that, no matter how strong, we…we always switch twelve hours later, and then the next day, we're back to our eight to eight schedule."

"That's it? A couple extra hours?"

"Job, Maura. I'd gladly take the night shifts, but I have to _work_. Same as you."

Maura sighed.

"I'm sorry…That was inconsiderate."

Jane gave her a tiny side smile.

"I guess I'll forgive you this once."

In return, she received a small pout.

"We finally get together and it's the first time you won't be around at all hours."

"Is…that what you want?"

"You being here?"

"No. Us…together?"

Maura smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling as she leaned forward slightly.

"Of course."

Her smile faltered though, and she sat back up hesitantly.

"Is that not what you want?" she hedged, her hands fidgeting under Jane's grasp.

"What? No! I totally want it!" she laughed, squeezing Maura's hands.

She leaned carefully forward, pressing her lips tentatively to the M.E.'s. Maura encouraged her as gently as she could managed, sitting up straighter to press her body lightly to the detective's. She pushed her luck, her tongue tasting Jane's lips as her fingers curled tightly in dark hair. And Jane allowed it for a short period, her hands gripping firmly at Maura's waist, at first to pull her closer, and then to tug her away. She guided Maura to spin around, guiding her to lie in her arms.

Maura agreed silently, relaxing as Jane's arms encircled her, the two reclining back into the couch. They stayed that way for their remaining time, Maura nestled against Jane as they caught up on each other's lives. Jane mostly talked about Tommy and Lydia, laughing as she tried to describe Tommy with the baby. She said he held the kid as if he was a live grenade. It earned her a laugh from the M.E., who had much to say about her new relationship with her mother. When she talked about how happy it made her, Jane's hands ran affectionately up and down her bare arms, placing a light kiss on her cheek.

There was a lull in the conversation, and Maura smiled peacefully to herself. She had missed this. All the talking and joking and laughing. She also loved the feel of Jane's arms wrapped around her as she lay against the brunette's torso, gentle breathing at her ear. But the happiness ended when she realized what exactly the lull was as Jane's body stirred beneath her. She jumped up, quick to smooth out her dress before Vanessa could open her eyes.

"You weren't by chance copping a feel, now, were you?" she teased, her voice low and scratchy.

"I most certainly was not," Maura snapped curtly. "Even if you wish I was."

Vanessa grinned mischievously, which just frustrated Maura more.

"Why don't you get embarrassed?"

"I dunno. Doesn't really phase me is all."

Maura raised her eyebrows at her, and Vanessa laughed, shrugging as she stood.

"I'll have her back by morning," she dismissed, waving at the honey-blonde.

"Be safe!" Maura called after her, an airy brightness in her voice.

It made Vanessa pause in the door, her heart giving a forceful pang. No one had ever told her that, never given enough fucks to worry about her. But instead of showing her gratitude like she knew she should've, she just kept going, the door slamming heavily behind her. She made it to Jane's car before she broke down, letting her head rest on the steering wheel as she cried. She had forgotten this feeling. Solitude. But she remembered it clearly, as a prominent part of her old life. Always alone. Half the time it was because no one wanted her. The other half was when someone did, in fact, try, and all she knew how to do was push them away.

The next couple weeks passed without incident. They were uneventful, even. Painfully uneventful. Maura was going out of her mind she and Jane were going so slow. It could quite possibly be considered a form of torture. And the worst part? The worst part was that she could tell how much Jane was holding back. It wasn't that Jane didn't want it, but felt the contrary. Their kisses felt more heated, their goodbyes dragged on, and yet nothing ever came of it. They always did say goodbye. Always did break apart. Frankly, she was done with it.

They ate dinner in their usual talkative fashion, Jane chattering excitedly about the new leads Frost and her had found. She continued her explanation as Maura got up from the couch to put dishes away, only trailing off as Maura blocked her view from the muted baseball game.

She saw the look in Maura's eyes and knew.

"Maura," Jane warned, her eyes closing as she shook her head.

"Jane," Maura said firmly, trying to hold the detective's attention.

Brown eyes shot to hers, pleading.

"Don't, Maur…Don't do this."

"You've somehow convinced yourself that the person inside you now is a darker version of yourself. And for some reason you associate sex with darkness. Probably from your Catholic upbringing—"

She stopped talking when she caught Jane's death glare. Laughing, she put her hands up defensively, acknowledging that she crossed a line.

"In any case, I don't believe Vanessa has anything to do with you. Yes, she has an easy confidence, but that's the only similarity you two share."

Jane could only nod, her eyes locked on Maura's body as she swayed closer.

"I want to prove you wrong twice," Maura murmured, leaning over Jane, one hand on either arm of the chair, blocking Jane in.

She watched Jane's eyes dart from her face to her cleavage and back.

"How's that?" Jane finally allowed, unwillingly taking the bait.

Maura leaned closer, her lips grazing Jane's ear before she spoke.

"Stay with me," she whispered, pulling back to capture Jane's lips in a languid kiss, letting Jane set their pace, their tongues meeting gently in exploration.

Jane was unsure how she was holding on as warm hands made their way up her body over her clothing, leaving a tingling in her skin. They kissed in a slow, burning passion, never hurried, but more than desperate as Maura's nimble fingers mapped her sensitive areas. As she traced lightly under Jane's breasts, the detective moaned, Maura taking the opportunity to speak.

"Promise me," Maura breathed, her hand pushing Jane away from her.

"Promise what?" Jane asked through shallow breaths, staring up at Maura in uncertainty.

"Promise you'll stay right here with me. Let me love _you_."

Jane nodded furiously.

"Yes. Yes, I promise. I'm right here."

Instead of returning to Jane, Maura stood up the rest of the way and set to work, untucking her shirt and lifting it over her head. Jane's eyes flicked upward to look into Maura's. She saw love, assurance, before her eyes began scanning over the newly revealed skin. She watched Maura slowly unzip her skirt, letting it drop to the floor, pooling around her feet. She took steps slowly toward Jane, taking her time to crawl onto Jane's lap, straddling her.

"You still there?" she murmured, draping her arms around Jane's neck and leaning down for a deep kiss.

"Mhm," Jane managed to whimper out.

Maura's skillful hands opened Jane's shirt, one button at a time, her lips never leaving Jane's. Her fingers trailed reverently over every inch of exposed skin as she lowered, until the shirt hung open. They broke apart, looking carefully at each other through their shallow breathing. Their gaze never broke as Maura slipped the shirt off Jane's shoulders, Maura's lips twitching up in a warm smile.

She gave Jane's lips a final affectionate kiss before trailing soft kisses down her jaw to her throat. She chuckled at Jane's restrained moan, her hands already tugging at Jane's belt. The brunette had enough of her mind left to help Maura, sitting up as the fabric was yanked away. And then Maura was back, tongue massaging her own languidly. Her hands traveled carefully down Jane's arms, gently prying Jane's hands from their death grip on the couch, guiding them to her body.

Jane let out another moan as Maura sucked lightly at her neck, letting her eyes close for the first time. She wanted this. She fought every speck of unconsciousness trying to take over her body, and for once, she was winning. Her hands roamed, memorizing the curves of Maura's body, taking her time to clock each of Maura's responses. Each gasp, each caught breath. She learned every moan, every plea as her fingers trailed softly up Maura's back, unclasping her bra. The hindrance fell away, and it took a moment for Jane to move. She stared at those perfect breasts, her heart hammering in her chest as she looked up questioningly at Maura.

God she looked sexy…her hair was mussed, her cheeks were flushed…She smiled again at Jane's uncertainty, taking Jane's hand in her own, brown stuck on hazel, as she guided it to cup her breast. Jane's attention finally flitted back to her hand. She grazed her thumb over the already hard nipple, circling softly around it until Maura shuddered. It gave her confidence. She palmed the other firmly, Maura arching slightly into the contact, her hair falling off her shoulders as she let her head loll back. She wanted to tell Jane to move them to her bedroom, but the words at the tip of her tongue fell out as moan when Jane's lips replaced her fingers.

"Bed" was the only coherent word she managed to spit out, her hips starting to grind into the woman beneath her.

When the word finally registered, Jane's grip on Maura loosened, enough for the M.E. to crawl from her lap, at least. In a swift movement, she stood, bent over, and hiked Maura over her shoulder. Maura let out a surprised squeal, laughing as Jane lugged her away.

"That's no way to take a lady to bed," she chastised as Jane dropped her onto the bed.

Jane's eyebrows arched up skeptically.

"Did you wanna go back so I can try again?" a teasing in her voice as she pretended to turn back.

Maura rolled her eyes, capturing Jane's wrist and tugging her hard back to bed, the brunette falling on top of Maura with another low chuckle.

"It's also not very polite to leave a woman in bed unattended," she murmured, her lips finding Jane's once again.

"All these rules…" Jane mused, kissing lightly down her neck, taking her time to suck gently at her collarbone. "Who knew you'd be bossy in bed, too?"

Maura rolled her hips impatiently, only to be held down by strong hands. She let out frustrated whimper, her hands threading in Jane's hair as the brunette continued her gentle biting and sucking.

"Jane," she whined. "I didn't come here to be teased."

"Then why did you?" came the low, husky reply, sending white hot chills through Maura's body.

"For you," Maura gasped, her breath catching as Jane's fingers gently massaged her inner thigh. "I came here for you, Jane."

The brunette pulled away from her for the last time that night, hovering over Maura. Her eyes bored deep into Maura's, indicating her sincerity.

"Then I'll stay. Right here…For you."

Maura watched as Jane hooked her fingers in her underwear and gently guided them off and away. She stayed for a moment, kneeling over Maura, her eyes sweeping reverently from her legs all the way up to her face. A reassuring smile slipped onto her face as she leaned slowly back over Maura.

"You're stunning," she whispered.

Maura smiled back shyly, guiding Jane's lips back to hers, kissing her languidly. Jane's hand trailed delicately up the honey-blonde's quivering thigh until she hit Maura's wet heat. The M.E.'s head fell back against the pillow, her body trying to arch into the touch, only to have Jane's body weight keep her relatively still.

"God, Jane," she breathed.

They met in a heated, messy, damn near necessary kiss as Jane stroked her gently. Her fingers worked slowly inside her friend, her lover, building a delicious burn in Maura's core. Jane felt her falling apart in her arms, airy gasps quickly turning to loud moans the faster she pumped. Her forehead fell to the pillow beside Maura's head, her lips placing gently kisses behind her ear.

"C'mon, Maura," she murmured. "Let go."

Her fingers curled with every thrust, her thumb brushing Maura's clit until her rocking hips stilled. A strangled cry in the form of Jane's name spilled from Maura's lips, her body jerking, shuddering as waves of pleasure crashed through her. Jane kept her hand still, continuing her comforting kisses on Maura's neck until her trembling aftershocks subsided. She very carefully removed her hand, licking it clean before brushing hair from Maura's face.

Maura managed to smile through her heavy breathing, lifting her head to kiss Jane reverently. The brunette gently rolled off Maura, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close.

"Thank you," Jane whispered, her hands squeezing Maura's stomach lightly in emphasis.

Vanessa awoke, surprisingly, in bed. This was probably the first time it had happened. But there was definitely a reason for it, she found, as something moved. Maura. Naked Maura. Her arm was draped around a naked Maura. She herself, naked. She jolted, and Maura stirred with the sudden movement. She held her breath, afraid that Maura would wake, but she didn't. Instead, she snuggled backward, tucking herself closer to Jane's body before drifting off again. Vanessa stayed. She stayed there, her arm wrapped firmly around Maura's stomach, feeling her living heat for a long while. What should she do…? She listened to the serene breathing, felt the woman's steady heart beat under her fingers, and it felt…nice. This was something she wanted. Not with Maura. But someone else. Someone she couldn't remember.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall forward, resting it on the back of Maura's bare shoulders, trying to find the courage to move. She slowly, painfully slowly, pulled her hand from Maura's stomach, carefully moving her arm off the M.E.

"Jane…?" Maura mumbled, reaching once again for the arm.

Shit. Think fast.

"Hey, sweetie," Vanessa whisperedinto honey-blonde locks, placing a careful kiss on the back of her head. "She's coming. I have to go."

Maura let out a disapproving groan.

"It's been like…an hour," she murmured, rolling over and kissing Vanessa before she could stop it. The tenderness of the kiss nearly broke her heart, knowing she was the thing standing between these two. She kissed back against soft lips, enough to assure Maura of Jane's love, but careful not to overstep her bounds. She pulled herself away, glad to be concealed by the darkness as she stared into Maura's loving and sad eyes.

"I wish you could stay," Maura whispered, reaching up to skim her knuckles across Vanessa's cheek.

"Me too," she managed to murmur back before slipping away and out of Maura's embrace, running to the bathroom and waiting a good five minutes. She came back out, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She felt more comfortable with her tattoo showing.

Maura was in the kitchen and she looked up, smiling a polite smile.

"Morning," she said brightly, tossing an orange to the guest.

Vanessa caught it, giving Maura a strange look as the honey-blonde continued talking.

"I don't really know what you like to eat…So do you do cereal or bacon and eggs or something else?"

The darker Jane continued to give Maura a funny look, her eyes narrowing as she considered Maura's motives.

"It's…8:30…" she finally said warily.

"Then do you want dinner? You've got a full twelve hours ahead of you, and I doubt there's any place that serves food at three in the morning—"

"You don't have to be nice to me," Vanessa cut in, turning and heading for the door. "And I don't think Jane would like it. Just because she no longer forbids…us in the same room, doesn't mean she encourages it," she explained hurriedly, grabbing her jacket. "I'll have her back by eight. Promise."

Maura wouldn't allow it, though, catching her wrist and pulling her back.

"Look at me," she commanded, spinning Vanessa back around.

Dark eyes stayed focused on the floor though, her arms tightening against her body self-consciously.

"I'm serious," Maura said firmly, her eyes trained on Vanessa's averted ones, waiting patiently.

She was rewarded with those black eyes flitting up to meet her gaze, the hard to read abysses now pooling with vulnerability.

"I don't care who you are," the honey-blonde started. "I…I know what it's like—"

"To not have a body?" Vanessa tried sarcastically.

"To be isolated."

The honesty in Maura's voice startled her.

"It's…it's terrible. Knowing at the end of the day, you're the only one who cares. I see it in you. Your humor…it's different from Jane's, but you both use it to hide…But she does it out of laziness…You. You do it out of necessity. Because at the end of the day, if you didn't make jokes and laugh it off, you'd just be sad. Alone. So…I commend you. I didn't have that strength until I found Jane."

"Which is why you should hate me right now!" Vanessa snapped.

"Why?" Maura asked calmly.

"I took her away! I always take someone away! I'm the wedge that drives people apart, and I don't wanna do it anymore."

"Would you feel better if I told you I hated you?"

"A little, yeah."

"Then I hate you."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"It didn't make me feel better."

"Lucky for you I didn't mean it," Maura laughed, giving Vanessa a demure smile. "Even if you don't believe me, I'll…I'll be here for you. Don't think just because I'm on Jane's side, I'm opposing you."

She gave another short laugh.

"I mean, we're all in this together; I'd say we're all on the same side."

Vanessa's brow furrowed as she looked for any trace of sarcasm or insincerity in Maura. She saw none as hazel eyes stared back at her, her smile shining brightly behind the gold and green.

Her first instinct was to run. Ignore the second time Maura had been nice to her, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to hurt this woman any more than she already was. So she pulled Maura into a hug. A really tight, really necessary hug, and Maura hugged back. She squeezed her tightly, her chin resting on her shoulder.

"We'll all be okay," she whispered, her hand rubbing comfortingly up and down her back.

Vanessa concealed her shiver as she pulled away, giving the honey-blonde a final smile.

"See you at seven," she said, giving a timid smile before shutting the door.

Maura's smile faltered, fading into a frown as she stared at the closed door. It wasn't that she didn't like her. Really, the girl wasn't half bad, but… She sat down at Jane's counter, grabbing the bowl of cereal she'd already made and staring at it. That had quite honestly been the greatest night of her life. Now how in the hell was she supposed to share? To wait? Knowing Jane would only be there half the time…There had to be a way out of this. Had to.

* * *

***smirks* I love this story too much. Way too much. Even though it is *damn* hard to write. Oh. And I'm looking for a beta. Not just for this story…basically all of them. I just need someone to give anything I write a quick read over for typos and stuff…nothing too serious. So if you're interested and have the time, please let me know.**


	9. Chaos At Its Best

**A/N: Well this chapter got away from me. I wanted to write a nice light chapter for all y'all. And I succeeded with that...until the end. lol hope you like it!**

* * *

The weeks passed and the three women found a good routine, but what surprised all of them was the growing friendship between Maura and Vanessa. Granted, it was nowhere near what she and Jane shared, but still. It was strange. The only two people Maura had felt comfortable around looked exactly the same and were completely different.

Today, Jane had found herself sitting in her car in the Dirty Robber parking lot. She drove home way faster than was legal, creeping in through Maura's garage and climbing gingerly into bed. She pressed herself lightly against Maura, who hummed in appreciation as scarred hands rubbed gentle circles on her torso.

"Did somebody come home early for me?" she asked smugly.

"Damn," Jane breathed, readjusting as Maura rolled to face her. "You caught me."

"Red-handed," Maura agreed sleepily, craning her neck to capture Jane's lips in a languid kiss.

Jane smiled against her lips, her eyes staying closed as Maura pulled away and let her head fall against the brunette's chest.

"How'd you sleep?" Jane asked, running her fingers absentmindedly through Maura's hair over and over.

"Alright. A little cold."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Jane said quietly, her arm wrapping a little tighter around the honey-blonde's body.

"It's okay." She paused, her eyes closing as she focused on Jane's hand, still stroking through her hair. "I've been researching."

"Oh?"

"And there's nothing, Jane. There is not one recorded case of any personality disorders that are accompanied by physical changes."

"I told you I wasn't crazy."

Maura chuckled.

"I believed you."

"But…?"

"But the scientist in me needed to know. And Jane, I couldn't find anything! But there _has _to be. Yet I cannot think of a single logical explanation."

"Do you want an explanation?"

"Explanations lead to resolutions."

Jane let out a sigh.

"You know what? Too much talking," she teased, leaning in for a kiss.

Maura blocked her though, giving a low chuckle as she rolled out of bed.

"Oh, no. I haven't been out of the house for two months, Jane. Two months of going between here, BPD, and crime scenes. I wanna do something! With you. We haven't even been on a real date."

Jane scowled.

"Does that mean we're not dating?"

"No! I just…I want a change of scenery. To leave this strange happenstance behind for a little."

"Fine. Go shower. I'll take you out. All day, okay? Just us."

"Not _all_ day! Just…for a little. I don't think I could make it a whole twelve hours and _not_ see you naked."

"Would you go?! Clock keeps ticking, babe."

Maura smirked, skipping back over.

"Maybe one kiss for the road," she murmured, clambering back to straddle Jane as their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

Just when Jane started getting worked up though, her hands starting to travel up Maura's shirt, the honey-blonde ripped herself away, shedding clothes as she exited.

"Tease!" Jane hollered after her.

She made Maura breakfast, knowing full well how long Maura took in the morning to get ready, and by the time the honey-blonde came out looking runway ready, cinnamon toast along with eggs and bacon was waiting for her. Jane sat cross-legged on her counter as Maura ate, describing the strange dream she had continued having.

"Is it a memory?" Maura asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Are you the brunette?"

"No. I'm watching."

"Do you know either of them?"

"I don't think so. They don't look familiar."

Maura shrugged, pushing her clean plate away.

"Well I'm no psychologist. I can barely understand the superficial things that people think. Much less the deep psychosis of your dreams, Jane."

"Did you just call me crazy?"

Maura smirked.

"I would never."

Jane scooted off the counter, walking around to stand next to Maura.

"I think you did."

"Never," Maura teased. "So what do you have planned for our first date? It's got quite the high standard to live up to."

"C'mon, Maur! That's not fair. I'm a woman, remember? Only ever been taken out. I've never had to do the taking before!"

The honey-blonde stood, pressing their lower halves together, leaving their lips inches apart as she peered up at chocolate eyes.

"Could've fooled me, Detective. You're quite good at taking me," she murmured, her hand trailing teasingly down Jane's stomach, making her squirm.

"Stop. You're just making this harder on purpose."

"Am I?"

"Yes. You are. You're making damn sure I want nothing more than to rip your clothes off."

"Am I?" she repeated smugly, slipping her hand under Jane's shirt.

"Yes. Because if I put what you want before what I want, then it proves I really do love you."

To prove her point, she kissed Maura forcefully, allowing the honey-blonde to palm her through her bra, before extracting herself, slipping into her jacket and holding the front door open.

"So. Are you coming or not?"

Maura grinned, rushing out the door.

"Are you gonna tell me?" Maura asked as Jane climbed into the driver's seat next to her.

"No," Jane chuckled, as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Is it shopping?"

Jane gave her a look.

"Right. Of course not. Movie?"

"We're not seventeen, Maur. Nor are we an old married couple."

"Well I'm sorry. I didn't peg you for the creative type is all!"

"So you're saying you would've been happy just going to the movies?"

"Yes! Out of the house is out of the house."

"Damn it," Jane breathed, feigning disappointment before a grin slipped on her face.

She pulled the car into a parking lot and got out, waiting for Maura before starting down the street to a—

"I thought you said we weren't seventeen."

"We're not!"

"And bowling isn't what teenagers do?"

Jane chuckled, taking Maura's hand as they continued walking.

"Chill, will you? This is the only place with pool tables that I feel safe taking you to."

Maura gave a small smile.

"You afraid some drunk is going to try and pick me up?"

"Yes, very. And I don't want to be committing any murders. I don't think I've mastered the art of putting handcuffs on myself just yet."

Maura squeezed her hand as they entered, and Jane was quick to set up the game, giving Maura a pool cue and walking to the opposite side of the table. The honey-blonde took a moment, staring at the table before she slowly leaned over it. Tauntingly slow. She then abruptly stood up, her eyes narrowing at Jane.

"Did you bring me here for an excuse to stare at my _ass_ or my _cleavage_?"

Jane chuckled, leaning back against the wall.

"Both."

"You're such a stereotypical male," Maura quipped, leaning back over.

Jane's head tilted as she stared at the sight that was Maura's nearly exposed chest. She drowned in the visual, getting lost in all the things she wished she could be doing. Ripping that dress off. Taking her hard. No. Maura deserved better.

"Jane?"

"Hmm?"

"If you take this long to shoot, I think we'll be here all night."

"Right," Jane mumbled, clearing her throat as she approached the table.

A few shots later, Jane found herself staring at Maura's ass. Not just her ass, of course. But how those wonderful heels made her legs look magnificent, like they went on forever. Until her eyes met the hem of that teasingly tight dress, the fabric straining as she bent over. Jane's mouth went dry at a new realization.

"You're not wearing underwear."

"Of course not," Maura said simply, not bothering to stand up as she spoke, intent on making her shot.

Jane felt something snap in her.

"Well I was _going_ to wait," she murmured, her eyes fading darker as she approached.

Maura felt Jane's body press to hers, strong arms sliding down hers until her hands were covered with Jane's. Hot breath at her ear, Maura swore her knees might give out as her breath caught in her throat.

"I had a third excuse," Jane whispered. "To cop a feel. I was _trying_ to be good, you know."

Air rushed from Maura's lungs as Jane's hips ground ever so lightly into her.

"But since you won't play fairly, I guess I won't either."

Scarred hands guided Maura's shot, flicking the cue swiftly and sinking the four. Neither moved to stand up though, stuck leaning over the table.

"Do you know what bad things I wanna do to you?" Jane husked, one hand moving from the cue to feel Maura's stomach, trailing lower with the passing seconds. "What that body of yours makes me feel?"

Maura could only hum, her body on fire as Jane's hands slipped off her dress and onto her thigh.

"Jane," she breathed, her head tilting as Jane sucked lightly behind her ear.

"What?" Jane growled, her hips rocking gently.

"L-let's just go home…I've had a w-wonderful time—"

Jane's dark chuckle stopped her short, and then Jane was gone.

"Oh, no. You made me come out here. I'm making you stay."

Maura spun around, shell-shocked.

"I believe it's still your shot," Jane said smugly, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she smirked.

Four hours and three games later, the women were both totally worked up and totally relaxed at the same time. They were climbing on the table, trying the most ridiculous shots possible, laughing hysterically as they failed. Maura was now sitting on the table, the cue behind her back as she stretched to take the shot. She ended up scratching and losing her balance, falling to lay fully across the table. Jane wanted to help, but could not seem to catch her breath, bent over from laughing so hard.

"Can you help me?" Maura laughed, her hands uselessly extending toward Jane as she tried to sit up.

Jane took a few deep breaths, straightening up and walking over. She pulled Maura to a sitting position, then scooped her up into her arms, earning a delighted squeal from Maura. She gave the honey-blonde a chaste kiss that escalated to passionate fire as their tongues fought, Maura's arms tightening their grip around Jane's neck.

"I think we should get going," Jane murmured.

"I agree."

Jane smiled, giving her another quick peck. Instead of setting her down, though, she just headed for the door, kicking the front door open as she carried Maura bridal-style to their car.

"Next stop, J.E.B High."

"What? Not home?!" Maura exclaimed.

"Nope. I'm not letting all my planning go to waste."

"So what's next?"  
"Well what do you do in the evening at a high school?"

"Night classes."

"And what kind of night class would I take _you_ to?"

Maura's brow furrowed as she thought, and then a wide grin spread across her face.

"Are you taking me to a cooking class?"

"Apparently Saturdays are couples' night."

Maura's eyes shone as she smiled wider, brighter.

"You're a wonderful girlfriend, Jane."

"Oh, believe me I know," Jane laughed.

They made their way in silence, their hands laced together and resting in Maura's lap. She couldn't seem to keep her thumb still, stroking gentle, loving circles on Jane's hand as she sat.

They walked that way, hand in hand, to the class, to find the room full of bickering couples. That didn't stop as the class started, and the two women stood out. While the other couples were arguing about who would do what, yell at each other for doing it wrong, Jane and Maura were laughing up a storm as Jane tried to correctly chop vegetables. It was Maura's turn to stand behind her, hold her close as she showed her the correct way. When there was nothing more to cut, Maura placed a soft, lingering kiss on the back of Jane's neck before pulling away. And as agitation grew around them, they barely seemed to notice. Jane stood, elbows on the counter, head propped up in her hands, as she watched Maura work.

"You look sexy," she said quietly.

Maura chuckled.

"I'm stirring, Jane."

"I know. It's sexy. Next time you make me something, could you do it in just an apron?"

Maura gave Jane a look, and the detective just grinned at her.

The class ended when they finished eating, and when the exited into the street, Maura headed for the car. But Jane caught her hand and tugged her a different way.

"C'mon."

Maura allowed herself to be pulled a different way and they strolled along, chatting lightly, their entwined hands swinging between them.

"Jane?" Maura asked timidly.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For the wonderful day."

"Anything for you. I had a good time."

She slowed them to a stop as they neared the docks. Maura's mouth dropped open at the sight she saw. The sun was just starting to set, the sky painted in orange hues. She put her hands on the wooden railing, resting her weight against it as she stared in wonder. Jane stood beside her, her arm wrapped tightly around the honey-blonde's waist.

"How is the world such a wonderful and horrible place at the same time?" Maura asked quietly.

"I don't know, babe. But I…I _can_ tell you this. I will do everything in my power to give you all the wonderful and keep all the horrible at bay. I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you, if you asked me to."

Maura snuggled closer to her.

"I want to do the same for you. We can figure this out together, dear. I know it."

Jane kissed her temple, resting her forehead in Maura's hair.

"Now can I please take you home and fuck you senseless?" Jane whispered.

Maura couldn't help but roll her eyes as she nodded, taking the detective's hand once again as they rushed back to their car.

* * *

Vanessa awoke groggily, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Why do I feel like someone ran me over with a steamroller?"

"Jane was standing. And then she passed out. She probably hit her head on the floor. But I moved you to the couch."

The brunette sighed, opening her eyes.

"Jesus!" she yelped, jumping in shock at the sight of Maura in her underwear, only to fall off the couch.

"Are you okay?" Maura gasped, rushing over.

Vanessa grumbled something inaudible as she pulled herself up, keeping her head turned away from Maura.

"Could you _please_ put some clothes on?" Vanessa whined, stealing another glance before cringing away again.

God she was so damn aroused. That woman was too hot for her own good.

Maura smirked, her eyebrows twitching up suggestively.

"Why? It bother you?" she asked, her voice low.

"Stop fishing for compliments, M. You know I think you're smokin'. Leave it at that."

"Fine," Maura said airily, "Go. Have a good night."

The honey-blonde skipped over to the kitchen, grabbing her Saturday ice cream from the freezer.

"Oh! And remember. Sunday is family breakfast. Be back a little early, okay? And try not to get too inebriated. Jane tends to have headaches from hangovers she didn't even get herself. And then she's just irritable."

"Yes, ma'am," Vanessa said, giving a fake salute as she slung on her jacket.

Maura continued to scoop her ice cream, enjoying the quiet, until of course, her phone ran in the other room. She made a face, setting down her dessert. Running into the bedroom to search for it, she dug through the piles of their discarded clothing until she found her jeans.

"Isles."

"We got a body," Cavanaugh said from the other line.

"Okay, where?...Fine. I'll be there in five minutes."

She hung up, and it struck her.

Oh no. Jane…_Vanessa_.

Maura grabbed the nearest bottle of tequila and rushed out into the driveway to see Vanessa already seated in the passenger side of her car. She got in, throwing the alcohol at the brunette as she buckled in and started the car.

"Why thank you, Dr. Isles," Vanessa teased, turning the bottle over in her hand, "but I don't think it's very professional to show up to work plastered."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Maura murmured, pulling out onto the street. "Just get Jane back here."

Vanessa gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah…about that…"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"Well….I can't."

"Just bring her back!" Maura ordered in frustration.

"I can't!" Vanessa repeated, agitation in her tone.

"What'd you mean you can't? I've seen you do it before!"

"Yeah, well that was _before_!"

"Before _what_?!"

"I…I dunno. The last couple weeks…there haven't been any unscheduled changes. Like…none. No matter how much I drink, no matter how much she works, it just doesn't do anything. It's like…Jane found out how to control it. Something happened that made her fight."

Maura blushed, gripping the wheel tighter as she remembered their first night together.

"Oh," she said, without meaning to.

"It was _you_," Vanessa breathed, facepalming.

"Maybe."

"You really couldn't go a month without sex!"

"No! I could! I _have_! I just…couldn't go a month without sex _with Jane_."

"You're insatiable!" Vanessa laughed in amusement, letting her head fall back.

Maura opened her mouth to proteste, but stopped, snapping her mouth shut and shrugging.

"Probably, yeah."

"You're becoming a problem, M."

"How was I supposed to know something would change?!"

Vanessa gave her a grin.

"You weren't. I'm just messing with you."

Maura looked relieved, but quickly looked worried again.

"What're we supposed to do?!" she hissed, "You can't go to a crime scene! You're a civilian."

Vanessa grinned.

"Well this shiny badge on my belt says otherwise!" she said gleefully. "So how does Jane flash it? I bet she's does it all badass. That make you hot?"

Maura scowled, reaching over to blindly whack at Vanessa, who just laughed, blocking the blows by sinking further down into the passenger seat.

"Would you just drive? I'll think of something."

"Of what? We're almost there and you have no knowledge of detective work…Don't throw up. Please. That'd be a giveaway."

"Relax, would you?" Vanessa chuckled. "I've seen my fair share of dead bodies before."

"I don't wanna know," Maura assured as they pulled to a stop. "Just…act natural."

"Yeah, sure, easy for you to say. You're who they think you are!"

They got out of the car and approached. Maura handed Vanessa gloves before pulling her own on, and Vanessa mirrored her apprehensively. An officer held up the tape and they ducked under, heading toward Frost and Korsak.

"Hey! Our leading ladies," Frost called. "We've been missing your expertise, Jane."

"I, uhh, well he's dead. Shot," Vanessa muttered, her eyes sweeping over the body lying face down on the concrete.

Maura grimaced, but everyone else laughed.

"And, umm," she looked desperately to Maura, who held up four fingers, then added another.

"…four…five?"

Frost squinted at the body, crouching down.

"Your right. Looks like a pretty big hole. You agree, Doc?"

Maura felt relief wash over her.

"Well I'll have to run ballistics, but Jane is usually correct."

Frost and Korsak turned their attention back to the body, and Vanessa once again started a silent argument with Maura.

_What the hell do I do now? _She mouthed to Maura, waving her arms in exasperation.

_Crouch down! _ Maura mouthed back.

_No!_

_Just do it!_

Vanessa glared, but gingerly bent her knees to crouch next to Frost.

_Now what?! _She mouthed angrily.

_I.D. Ask about I.D._

"We…got I.D.?" Vanessa asked weakly aloud.

"Nope. No wallet, no cash, no keys. Poor thing looks like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But it doesn't look like a mugging…" she mumbled, accidently out loud, her eyes narrowing as she looked closer at the body.

When she realized she'd spoken aloud, she looked up to see everybody staring at her.

"Why not?" Frost asked.

"Well…why do muggers kill?"

"They get spooked."

"Right. What spooks someone?"

"Confrontation."

"And what was this guy doing when he was shot?"

Everybody paused, to take in her point.

"Running away," Frost breathed. "So was it personal?"

Vanessa laughed, standing.

"Hell if I know! I just know it wasn't a mugging."

"But whoever killed him set it up to _look_ like a mugging."

"Uhh, sure. Are we done here?"

Korsak's brow furrowed.

"Yeah…for now."

"Great. Bye."

"We'll call you when forensics gets back to us, okay?"

Vanessa gave a dismissive wave, as she turned and headed back for the car. Maura gave an apologetic smile to Frost.

"You can have the body sent back to the morgue. I've got all the info I need," she said hurriedly before turning and heading back with Vanessa. Once in the car, Vanessa extended her hand, and Maura smiled, giving her a high-five.

"Think that'll hold them off until morning?"

"Mhm. Now hurry up and have your fun so morning can come."

"M, I'm hurt!" Vanessa gasped, feigning offence. "Saying something like that might give me the wrong impression! Like that you don't want me around."

"You're quite insightful," Maura said nonchalantly.

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"Just drive me to Jane's car, will you?"

* * *

"We have _got_ to stop doing this," Maura gasped, her fingers threading through Jane's hair as the detective kissed down the valley between her breasts.

"Stop doing what?"

"Sex…at work…it's very unprofessional…"she managed to gasp out in broken phrases.

"Well I don't really wanna stop," Jane murmured, her lips resting above Maura's underwear.

She sat up.

"But if you insist."

"Jane!" Maura protested, yanking her back down on her, kissing her hungrily.

Jane could only chuckle, her hand slipping past the elastic of Maura's underwear, only to be interrupted by a rapid knocking on the office door.

"Dr. Isles? Dr. Isles are you in there? Is _Jane _in there?"

More knocking.

"He'll go away," Jane whispered, capturing Maura's lips again, only to jerk away with an angry growl as the knocking persisted.

"You never lock your door, Dr. Isles. I'm breaking in if you don't open up soon."

"Shit," Jane breathed. "Lab coat, Maur."

Maura grabbed her lab coat, throwing it on over her underwear, Jane grabbing her other discarded garments along with Maura's and running to the corner of the room. Maura finished buttoning the coat, running over, unlocking the door and swinging it open, the door blocking Jane into the corner and out of sight. A very disgruntled Frost entered.

"You threw me there, Doc."

Maura smiled warily at him. She felt very exposed without clothes on under her lab coat, even though she looked no different.

"Sorry, Detective Frost. I was taking a nap…I know it's wrong—"

"Nah, it's cool. We've all been working pretty hard."

"You have no idea."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said innocently.

"We got a break. I was kinda hoping Jane was here. We were about to go pick up a suspect in the fake mugging case."

"You just missed her. I'm sure she's around."

Jane was carefully trying to yank on her slacks in the cramped space, but ended up whacking her knee on the doorknob.

"Fuck!" she hissed.

Frost turned around, his brow furrowed.

"Did you just…?"

Maura stood frozen for a second, then grimaced.

"Yes. I hit my foot off the door," she said, pained.

To demonstrate, she kicked the door roughly, squishing Jane further into the wall. He looked at her warily.

"Uhh, I'm gonna go, Doc. I think some rest would…treat you well."

He edged slowly out of the room and to the elevators.

"What in the _hell_ was that?!" Maura hissed as Jane pushed the door closed.

"I hit my knee! _You_ hit me with the whole door. I think _you're _the one who did something wrong!"

Maura smirked.

"Fine. Now go. Get the bad guy."

Jane smiled, giving her a chaste kiss before backing out of Maura's office.

Maura stayed a few more hours to finish up the autopsy report as well as a few other files before deciding it was time to head home. She got to her car when she realized she'd forgotten Korsak's birthday. Darn. She figured he was probably still at the Robber, so she headed down, entering to find loud music blaring. She'd also forgotten Mondays were dance night. Either way, she found Korsak sitting with the other guys at a booth, wishing him a good birthday and politely turning down a drink with them. When she turned to go, though, she saw Jane, the brunette's hands all over another woman on the dance floor. A pang of jealously shot through her, followed by a burning anger, until she thought of something.

"Vanessa?" Maura asked in shock, approaching quickly.

The brunette's eyes shot up, her hands jerking from the woman, pushing her away.

"I'm sorry M! She just, she came out of nowhere—"

"_You!_" came the accusatory gasp.

Vanessa braced for the verbal beat-down she expected, but instead was hit by an onset of light blows to her arm as Maura whacked her over and over.

"Jesus, Vanessa! I thought you were Jane!" she breathed in relief.

She gave another half-ass whack to the woman.

"A heads up would've been nice!" she laughed, lifting her wrist to check her watch: 8:07 pm.

"Geez, woman!" Vanessa exclaimed. "You're so abusive! Wait….So you're…not mad?"

"I'll admit that was my first instinct, but that wouldn't be fair."

"But we were…? Are you _sure_ that's okay?"

Maura's brow furrowed in that adorable way, her lips tightly pressed together as she thought.

"Don't get me wrong. I do _not_ like the idea of sharing Jane's body, but…what can I expect? You're…you're a person. And, I mean, it's not like its Jane…necessarily…."

"Fuck, you're cool," Vanessa laughed.

She reached over and grabbed the ass of the closest girl, gauging Maura's response. Maura just smirked, her eyebrows rising smugly.

"Really? Not even a twinge?" Vanessa asked

"Nope. What you do to other people is not what bothers me. What other people do to you, is. So, in a perfect universe, I'd tell you 'don't,' but this is _clearly_ not a perfect universe."

"Look, I don't wanna…I dunno, disrespect you. I don't want to put you through that if this is temporary. If this is a permanent sorta thing, though, I can't promise anything…"

"You'd…wait?"

Vanessa gave a small smile.

"You've given me all the courtesy in the world. Why couldn't I spare a little for you?"

Maura broke out in a wide grin.

"Well…thanks!" she said brightly.

She turned to go, but Vanessa snagged her back, her arm draping around her shoulder, almost like Jane would.

"Hang on. I could use your expertise here…" she said, her tone hushed.

"Expertise of _what_?" Maura asked quietly back.

"Of who I can bang if this really is permanent."

Maura let out a huff, rolling her eyes and making a show of removing Vanessa's arm from around her.

"I thought you actually needed something _important_."

"Oh c'mon!" Vanessa protested, pouting slightly. "Let me at least have a little fun."

Maura made a face, checking her watch.

"Two minutes. Go."

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, looking for someone who at least got Jane's heart rate going. Her eyes settled on a shorter blonde at the bar. She casually pointed to her, and Maura looked at the subject pensively.

"Not so good. She's a receptionist at the BPD. If she ever saw me and Jane together, she'd get pretty pissed."

Vanessa scowled, but continued her search. In the end, she had about three or four plausible candidates, but as Maura grabbed her purse to leave, Vanessa spotted a final man, serious looking, sitting at a booth by himself.

"Him?" she asked "What about him—"

"No!" Maura barked shrilly, cutting Vanessa off before she could finish.

Embarrassed by the outburst, Maura cleared her throat, trying to brush it off.

"See you at seven?" she asked as she stood, smoothing her skirt.

"Seven sharp."

"Rum and coke or vodka cranberries?"

"Ehh…It's a fruity kinda day," Vanessa said with a wink and a smirk.

Maura gave her a half smile as she left, scurrying past the mysterious man in question, her head down. Vanessa chuckled to herself. Oh, damn. This was too good to pass up. She strode over confidently, sitting down directly across from him, a smug smirk on her face.

"Hey," she said, loving how Jane's voice sounded. Deep. Enticing.

The man looked up, shock written in his features.

"Hey! Jane…I didn't think I'd see you out on a weekday."

"Felt like a change," she laughed. "In fact, I feel like a new me. So much so that I'm afraid you don't know me."

She stood up halfway like she was leaving, then slid back, extending her hand as if she was newly arriving.

"Hey. Detective Jane Rizzoli. Boston Homicide."

He gave a low chuckle, taking her hand firmly in his and playing along.

"Agent Gabriel Dean. FBI."

* * *

**A/N: he...hehe. I'm sorry. Well...I'm really not, but still. Let me know what you think! Even if you're angry with me ;)**


	10. Slippery Slope

**A/N: Well things just seem to be getting more complicated for our leading ladies ;) What could possibly go wrong next? I think I know. Some lovely ladies from Vanessa's past are gonna show up in the next chapter. Be ready! **

* * *

Vanessa got home to find the honey-blonde sleeping on the couch, all the lights still on, a vodka cranberries sitting on the coffee table next to her. The brunette grinned and sauntered over, tossing her jacket onto the sleeping Maura.

"Yo, sleepy head. Get your ass up," she said loudly.

Maura jumped awake, sitting upright, the jacket on her face falling to the floor. She frowned, picking it up and standing.

"Can you really not do something as simple as hang things up?" Maura grumbled, stalking over to the closet and fumbling for a hanger.

"I'm tired! Unlike _you_, I've been up all night."

Maura gave her an apathetic look as she slumped back on the couch.

"I haven't been sleeping well," she admitted, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh come on, M. Don't go layerin' the guilt on me, now."

Maura rolled her eyes.

"How was your night?"

"Great." She paused, considering. "What do you have against Agent Dean?"

"You _talked_ to him?!" Maura nearly shrieked, now very much awake.

"Well, _yeah_. You can't go all mysterious avoid-y on me and expect me to _not_ follow up!"

"Yes I can! I can _very much_ expect that of you!"

She gave an annoyed groan, standing and walking to the kitchen.

"I swear, you're like a child," she muttered, pouring herself a glass of orange juice before returning to the couch.

"Nah. I just don't listen to authority."

"And I'm authority?" Maura teased, her eyebrows quirking up smugly.

"You got this…air about you. I don't know if you know, but it's…powerful. And it's intimidating. So yes. You're very much authority. _But_. You have yet to answer my question about Dean."

"What about him?"

"What don't you like about him?"

Maura just looked down at the glass in her hand, fidgeting.

"I mean, I got the whole thing between him and Jane, but…is that it? Are you really the jealous type?"

"I…He just makes me frustrated. With myself. Because if I had told her sooner…about how I felt, she would've never even looked twice at him."

"M, you don't get it. You know what that man did to Jane's body? I got a jolt. A little, tiny jolt. When…when I touch _you_, God. It's like being struck by lightning. Like I'm high. The feel of your skin on hers makes me feel on fire."  
Vanessa cleared her throat.

"That wasn't something friends say."

Maura gave a light laugh.

"No. I'd have to agree with that."

"Lemme rephrase. She's only got eyes for you, M."

"I…that's not it," Maura said slowly, trying to figure out how to explain it. "I'm not _that_ petty."

It was Vanessa's turn to laugh.

"What…bothers me the most is that, I guess…she…felt something towards him. Like…she had _feelings_ for him."

"From what I gathered, their last encounter involved her leaving him _in bed_, to go take care of you."

"What?!"

"I'm just passing on the message. She's loved you probably just as long as you loved her."

A silence passed between them.

"So…you won't, you know…sleep with him?" Maura asked meekly.

Vanessa looked at her pensively, as if seriously considering.

"If I wanted boobs, I'd go for a woman," she deadpanned.

Maura barely managed to not spit out her drink as she laughed.

"Be nice," she chastised, and Vanessa gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Oh, come _on_! You won't even speak badly about people you _hate_?!"

"I never said…hate. I find him mildly…displeasing."

"Wow. You really are too polite."

"It's how I was raised. I try not to be too uptight, but sometimes it just doesn't work."

"You shouldn't be sorry. My childhood was terrible, and look at me now. You should be proud."

"You….remember your childhood?"

"Parts. Mom was…well she couldn't seem to stay sober. Knocked me around pretty good on her bad days."

"I'm sorry," Maura said quietly.

Vanessa shrugged.

"It worked out. Got myself put in foster care. Everything got better from there, and—"

"You were in foster care?"

Vanessa looked at Maura warily.

"Yeah…?"

"You had to file a lawsuit against her, to show she was an unfit parent, right?"

Vanessa nodded her head.

"So…you're in the system."

There was a pause, as the reality dawned on Vanessa.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Do you remember your name?"

"…Sort of."

"What'd you mean sort of?"

"All I can remember is 'Fuck Life'."

"And that matters because…?"

"Fuck Life. F. L. My initials."

Maura's heart was starting to pound as the reality of what they'd discovered really meant. They had a lead. An actual lead.

"Do you remember when?"

"When I called the police? I was twelve."

"And you are…?"

"Twenty-three."

"So we need to look for children entered into the foster care system in Boston in 2001 with the initials F.L.," Maura exclaimed.

Vanessa smiled.

"I…I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier!"

"Doesn't matter," Maura assured, her hand reaching over to pat the brunette's knee. "If you did I might not have found a friend in you."

The smile on Vanessa's face grew and she pulled Maura into a hug.

"You're too good to me, M. I don't deserve it."

"Of course you do," Maura murmured into Vanessa's neck, squeezing her tighter.

A beeping sounded and Vanessa sighed.

"See ya in twelve hours," she said, leaning back casually and closing her eyes.

Maura grabbed the glass of red liquid before it could slip from Jane's fingers, setting it on the table and leaning forward in anticipation. As soon as Jane's eyes fluttered open, Maura was on her, straddling her lap with practiced ease as their lips met.

"Took you fucking long enough," Maura breathed, her hands finding purchase on Jane's neck as she pulled them together roughly again.

Jane just chuckled, her lips molding to Maura's and allowing the honey-blonde's insistence overpower her. The alarm clock in the other room went off and Maura sighed. She pulled away reluctantly, slipping from Jane's lap and dashing to turn off the alarm. When she returned, Jane was standing, her nose scrunched up as she looked down at herself.

"I smell strange," she muttered, pulling her shirt from her pants and unbuttoning the top.

"I'm sure you do!" Maura exclaimed, taking a few predatory steps forward. "Vanessa does some pretty crazy things with that body. But nothing as crazy as what I wanna do with it."

"Someone's loosening up quite a bit!" Jane mocked, flicking her hair dramatically. "That wouldn't be because of a certain, less attractive-looking version of me, now would it?" she asked, a teasing glint in her eye.

Maura rolled her eyes, her hands fisting in Jane's collar as she yanked the brunette into a fiery kiss, tongues colliding, Jane's shirt hanging open, allowing Maura to feel her bare torso flexing against her own. Neither knew how much time had passed, but they eventually reached the point where neither could really breathe. The honey-blonde pulled back to find Jane smirking at her.

"You missed me, didn't you?"

"Stop being so smug!" Maura whined. "Yes. I miss being appreciated and loved. Sue me."

"Can I sue for sex instead of money?"

"Is there something you want that I wouldn't willingly give?"

Jane gave a demure smile, kissing her again, hands gripping the backs of Maura's thighs and hoisting her onto the counter.

"Probably not," she murmured into Maura's lips, "but I like the idea of you owing me."

Maura grinned, her head tilted down, her vantage point on the counter making her taller. Their next kiss was that of love, sweetness as Maura's gentle hands rested on Jane's jaw. Both of them moved slowly, relishing the taste of the other. Jane's hands squeezed Maura's ass tighter, pushing her center to her stomach, eliciting a gasp from the M.E. Maura just bit down harder on Jane's lip, her hands trailing slowly down Jane's neck and down the line of exposed flesh her open shirt granted.

"I love you," she whispered into the brunette's ear, her lips brushing softly against the skin of Jane's cheek, "So much."

She pulled back to find Jane beaming at her, a new warmth in her eyes. Her scarred hand lifted carefully to Maura's face, gently tucking an errant lock behind her ear.

"I love you, too."

"Excuse me?"

Jane gave a yelp, spinning around at the sound of her mother's voice, her hand automatically clamping her shirt back together. Maura was quick to close her legs, trying to pull her dress back over her knees.

Jane shifted her weight nervously, her lips pressed in a tight line as she stared at Angela.

"How long's this been going on?" Angela asked sternly.

"Isn't any of your business, Ma. What're you doing here anyway?"

"Jane," Maura chided, giving her a nudge with her elbow. "It's been about two months. We're…we're sorry we didn't tell you. So much has been going on, telling people didn't really…cross our minds."

Jane looked as if she's bracing for impact, her hand gripping the fabric of her shirt tighter together. Angela didn't answer right away; she just looked at the two, her brain trying to wrap around the situation.

"Well go get dressed, will you? You're not gonna be late on my watch."

"You don't care?"

"Of course not. Don't get me wrong, I'm a little off put by the lack of trust, but…what am I to expect?"

Jane's brow furrowed as she watched her mother leave, turning slowly to give Maura a questioning look. Maura just shrugged, pushing herself off the counter.

"She's right, though. We're going to be late."

Jane sighed, then her body tensed.

"Oh, God. She'll tell everyone at BPD."

"Don't be silly—"

But Maura stopped talking as Jane was already dashing away, stripping as she ran. A few curses echoed from their bedroom, but Jane reappeared, a new button down and slacks on, fresh socks in her mouth and her boots in hand, sprinting past Maura and to the car. Maura just smirked to herself, grabbing the car keys from the counter and following.

Once downtown, they walked cautiously through the front doors of the building, only to be greeted with usual waves and smiles. There were no new stares as they strolled through the lobby and to the elevators.

"See?" Maura asked, her voice hushed. "Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, yeah," Jane grumbled, giving her a chaste kiss as the doors closed. "We can only hope it stays that way."

There was, in fact, something to worry about, but for once, Angela was not at the center of it.

Hours later, Jane sprinted off of the elevator, crashing noisily through the hall.

"Maura! Maura, Maura, Maura, Maura!" she repeated frantically, skidding clumsily through the morgue door and right into her girlfriend.

"Maura!" she yelled again, to which she received a glare.

"What?"

"Something's wrong. Very, very wrong."

"Jane, calm down. I can't understand you you're talking so fast."

"I can't calm down!" she nearly shouted. "Something's wrong!"

She grabbed Maura's hand and shoved it in her pants, down into her underwear. Maura yanked her hand back, giving Jane a shove.

"We're in a room full of windows, Jane!" she chastised.

"You're missing the point! I'm _wet_, Maur."

There was a pause as Maura tried to assess where this was going.

"That much I gathered."

"A woman I've seen every day for four years and felt _nothing_ for and now it's like the fucking Hoover Dam broke!"

"Language."

"Are you mad I said 'dam'?" Jane quipped.

Maura gave a mock smile.

"And you couldn't just have told me because…?"

Another pause.

"Well that wouldn't be as fun as having your hand in my pants, now would it?"

Maura rolled her eyes.

"For goodness sakes, Jane, even in a state of sheer terror your libido still takes precedence."

"Of course it does," Jane said, clearly calmer. "You're the only person I've ever wanted!" She paused, frustration setting in. "_Until now! _I don't even think she's that pretty for Christ sake."

Maura's brow furrowed.

"The receptionist?"

Jane nodded.

"We have a problem," Maura agreed.

"That's what I said in the first place."

Maura reached over and carefully brushed Jane's hair away. There on her neck was a very light tracing of Vanessa's tattoo.

"I…I think you two are….connecting…somehow."

"Vanessa?!" Jane barked, daring the woman to come forward.

_Hmm?_ Came the timid reply in her head.

"Oh, no," Jane said with a disbelieving laugh. "I liked what we had! Why? Why's it changing? How long've you been there?"

_Just today. A few hours or so._

"Is…is she…there?" Maura asked, not really sure how she felt, standing and watching Jane talk to herself.

Jane's sigh was enough of an answer, though.

"Can you see what I see?" was the brunette's next question.

_Yeah. Maura's lookin' _fine _in that lab coat. _

Jane wished she could hit the woman. But she didn't know how she felt about hitting herself to accomplish it.

"How about what I think? Can you hear that?"

_Of course. So don't hit me. Maura's scared enough as it is._

Jane's eyes snapped to Maura's wary gaze, and she instantly softened.

"I'm sorry. I…damn it! Everything was going so well. Okay…as well as it could've been…"

Her phone rang, and she swore, answering it.

"_What_?!"

"Uhh…we got an I.D. I _was_ heading down to notify families and preliminary interviews…but if you have something better to do—" Frost said pointedly.

"No," Jane said apologetically. "I, uhh, I'll be right there."

She hung up, looking sheepishly at Maura.

"We'll figure this out. I promise."

_I'm sorry_, Vanessa said meekly.

With a quick kiss goodbye, the brunette fled. And that was when Maura remember all she'd learned about Vanessa. In all the chaos, she'd forgotten to tell Jane any of it.

Hours later, after the interviews were over, Jane tried burying herself in the paperwork, trying to ignore the voice in her head.

_I'm bored_, Vanessa whined, pulling Jane's thoughts from her work once again.

_**I would be too, if I had to live a day without doing anything.**_

_Do you think you'll be there for _my_ twelve hours?_

_**God, I hope not.**_

Her watch beeped 7:55 and Jane groaned. She grabbed her blazer from her desk and stood, running right into Cavanaugh.

"And where are you going Rizzoli?"

"…home?" she tried weakly.

"I'm sick of you cutting out on big cases," he said sternly. "You've gotta get your head back in this."

She tried not to visibly sigh as she sank back into her chair.

_Does that mean I have to stay too?_

_**Until we solve this case**_.

Vanessa's glare bored into Jane and she closed her eyes, waiting for the clock to strike eight.

A few hours later, Maura appeared from downstairs, file in hand as she strode towards Frost's desk. She stopped dead in her tracks, though, when she saw Jane-Vanessa-slumped on her desk, eyes closed. Rushing over, she gently shook the brunette's shoulder.  
"What're you doing here?!" she hissed, bending over slightly to get a better look at Vanessa. She looked…softer. More like Jane.

Vanessa didn't open her eyes, though, simply giving a groan.

"Big bad boss man's basically holding me hostage."

"Well…where is everyone?"

"They said they were taking a five down at the café."

"And you didn't go because….?"

"A five minute coffee break for them is five minute rest for me."

"But Angela!"  
"But her mother, what?"

"You weren't there for that, were you?"  
"There for what?"

"Hey, you two!"

Maura froze, not wanting to turn around and see their fate.

"How many?" she asked quietly.

Vanessa looked of Maura's shoulder for a long time before she answered.

"All of them."

Maura's stomach dropped out, but, with careful steps, she turned, smiling at the crowd of officers and detectives.

"Why didn't you tell us, hmm?" Grant asked.

"Tell you what?" Vanessa asked loudly, standing up to be next to Maura.

"That you two were…" Riley tried, but she just trailed off.

"Oh!" Vanessa exclaimed, once again, rather loudly. "_That_. Because we didn't want…_this_," she laughed, gesturing to the crowd circled around them.

"We're just happy for you!" Frost assured.

"Can we get a kiss?" Korsak asked with a grin, the guys around him nodding in approval.

"_WHAT?!"_ both women blurted simultaneously.

"Well you didn't seem to have a problem with that this morning," Angela argued.

"Yeah, c'mon," was one of the common encouragements that echoed through the others.

Maura looked hesitantly to Vanessa, biting her lip.

"Is it okay, Jane?" she asked quietly.

**_No. It is most certainly _not_ okay._ **

Vanessa paused.

"Yeah. It's okay."

_**You deaf woman?! I said NO.**_

But she really could not control it as Maura stood on her toes, pressing her lips tentatively to Vanessa's. Even with the same lips, they still felt different as they moved against hers. It was more firm. More present. A few hollers pulled her from her thoughts, and she let herself rock back onto the balls of her feet and away from Vanessa, who wrapped a firm arm around her.

"Now will you _go away_?" she asked, squeezing Maura tighter for emphasis.

A chorus of 'fine's greeted them as everybody dispersed back to their separate jobs.

_**You're in trouble**_**, **Jane muttered, almost sulking.

_You'll thank me later._

_**I seriously doubt that**_.


	11. Answers?

**A/N: Couple things to say. First of all, I'm so incredibly sorry. Like genuinely. I've wanted to finish this story since the second I started writing it, but it's been so difficult. Because I wouldn't call this a cross-over, but I'm including characters that most of you might not know. So it's...again, it's difficult. I want to do this story, the plot, and my explanation of it, justice Or at least to be enough for you guys, without being like...confusing. So I've been trying to find that fine line, and I think I've found it. I ****_hope_**** you think so too.**

**And those of you who ****_do_**** know the Buffy universe (although I promise it's not necessary for you to), my disclaimer is this: Yes, this is post-season seven, and yes, Anya (and Tara) are still alive, because in my sad, stubborn mind, I refuse to believe they ever died. That is all. Enjoy.**

* * *

Vanessa jolted awake, still at Jane's desk, a piece of paper sticking to her face.

_Why didn't you wake me up? _she asked Jane, ripping the paper from her face and groaning.

**_Believe me I tried. I thought I was supposed to come around when you went to sleep, but I couldn't move. You were...still in control. But, I did get you to kick a little. But that's it._**

The woman frowned.

_You got me to kick?_

Jane didn't say anything back right away. But suddenly, Vanessa's hand went up and hit her own face lightly.

_You must think you're real cool_, Vanessa glowered.

**_Oh, c'mon. That _****was****_ pretty cool. Just don't…do it to me_****, **Jane laughed.

_Deal_. _Wait...So it's still the same day? As when...well when...?_

**When you kissed my girlfriend? Yeah. Still today.**

Vanessa got to her feet, throwing her blazer back on, picking up the large box of files with one arm and starting for the door.

**_Wait. Could you…check to see if Maura's still here?_**

"You think she is?" Vanessa accidentally said out loud.

Jane chuckled again.

**_She usually waits, but maybe she didn't. I just…I wouldn't wanna leave her here._**

_Yeah, yeah. Got it. Don't worry, I won't make you a sucky girlfriend._

She went for the stairs instead, walking down to the still illuminated morgue. Inside her office, Maura was curled up on the couch, her legs tucked perfectly into the cushions.

_No one sleeps that perfectly._

**_She does_****.**

Sighing, Vanessa made her way over to the sleeping honey-blonde, bending down and putting a hand softly on her side.

"C'mon," she murmured to Maura, gently rousing her.

"W-what'sgoingon?" Maura slurred, still practically asleep.

"We need to go home. You waited for me. And it's late."

"I don't wanna get up," the honey-blonde mumbled.

Vanessa just sighed again, making sure she had a firm grip on the box she still held in her one arm before wrapping the other one around Maura and lifting her. Instantly, Maura was more awake, her eyes snapping open.

"Put me down!" she nearly shrieked, and Vanessa instantly dropped her.

"I'm sorry! I just—"

"How did you do that?!" Maura exclaimed, standing up. "That was one-armed! Even Jane uses two."

"I uhh, I'd rather not get into it," Vanessa avoided, her free hand clenching in a fist by her side.

"But you _knew_ you were that strong?"

"'Course I did," she laughed. "It's hard not to notice how strong you are."

"Is it because of all this, did that _happen_ to you—"

Vanessa put a hand on the frantic honey-blonde's arm, trying to calm her.

"It wasn't because of this. I don't know why, but I just know. I've had it since I was a kid."

"That's not possible," Maura continued, as if the whole situation hit her in the face again. "None of this is possible! You shouldn't even exist! People don't just…change bodies! People are who they are because of their _brains_! And Jane doesn't have two brains in her head—"

"Look, can we go home?" Vanessa asked. "I'm tired, and I just want to sleep, and…oh God. I can't sleep."

When Maura didn't exactly _comply_, Vanessa once again lifted her up, slinging her over her shoulder and starting off for their car. The honey-blonde didn't protest, only grumbling slightly.

"You really should've gone home, M," Vanessa laughed.

"You're my ride home," Maura teased, her words muddling together as she fell back towards sleep.

Vanessa laughed. This woman. No wonder Jane loved her.

* * *

Jane awoke on her couch, her work blazer draped over her body.

**_I still can't believe you kissed Maura, _**she grumbled in her head.

_Aww, lighten up Rizzoli. I had to and you know it._

Sighing, Jane sat up, stretching and rubbing her eyes.

**_What day is it?_**

_Saturday, why?_

**_Because on Saturdays we're only on call._**

_Mmm, _Vanessa responded, only half interested.

Jane got up and walked around for a few moments, then noticed her shut bedroom door. She smiled, and quietly, she made her way into the room, placing herself gently on the bed. When Maura hummed, she got under the covers, spooning the woman.

"G'morning," Maura mumbled, snuggling back to fit against Jane.

"Morning to you too," Jane murmured, kissing the back of her neck.

Maura responded, her hand softly guiding Jane's down her body. Jane let her teeth lightly graze Maura's shoulder, loving the feel of the honey-blonde's stomach clenching beneath her fingertips. But a smirk in the back of her mind reminded her of their not so private situation, and she gently resisted Maura's tug downward.

She let out a disappointed sigh, letting her forehead drop forward to rest on Maura's spine.

Maura didn't have to press. She just laced her fingers through Jane's and let the jumble of hands rest against the skin of her stomach.

"I love you," Jane said quietly.

"I love you, too."

Maura's growling stomach interrupted their moment, and Jane chuckled, coaxing Maura to roll over and face her.

"I guess we need to get some food in you, huh?" she laughed.

"I don't want to get up," Maura pouted, her eyes looking up into Jane's.

Jane smiled, taking her hands and kissing them lightly.

"Then I'll go get something. How about that new place 'round the corner?"

Maura's hazel eyes got a little bigger, hopeful.

"…would you?" she asked.

A smirk crossed Jane's face.

"I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I didn't, now would I?"

She kissed Maura chastely, or what had _meant _to be chaste, and as the minutes dragged by, she finally tore herself from the bed.

"Egg-white omelet with spinach and bacon, two slices of whole-grain toast?" Jane affirmed as she changed her shirt.

Maura smiled—beamed actually—and nodded when Jane looked back at her.

"I'll be back in ten," she called, flicking her hair out from inside her shirt as she headed for the door.

She grabbed her keys and her badge, forgoing her gun on a breakfast run.

The walk to the restaurant was under two minutes, and she had gotten her order in record time. She smiled to the server that handed her the bag, giving a generous tip before heading back outside.

Not ten steps away from the door of her apartment building, Jane felt arms around her. One securing her arms to her sides, the other hand covering her mouth. She yanked hard against them, but the steel grip did not waver. Her hands dropped the bag as she tried to find a hold on the captor, but she got nothing as she was shoved into a dark van.

Maura hadn't expected Jane to make her ten minute promise, but when ten minutes turned to twenty and twenty to thirty, she got worried. Really worried.

Finding Jane's discarded work shirt, she threw it on, as well as her own wrinkled skirt, before making her way to the door. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but she didn't want to do anything hasty. Maybe she would see Jane walking down the street.

But as soon as she got to the front door of the apartment complex, she saw the food, scattered on the sidewalk.

No. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. Not again.

She rushed to her car, already dialing Frost as she exited the parking garage elevator.

"Detective Frost? Oh God, you need to get to the station, now."

"What? Why?"

"Jane's gone," Maura said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"What? What do you mean gone?"

"I mean _gone_!" the honey-blonde snapped, starting the car and pulling out of her spot. "She went out for breakfast and then didn't come back!"

"Are you safe?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just meet me at the station. _Please_."

"I'll be there in five."

Maura let out a breath of relief as she exited the garage, speeding down the street.

Frost found her pacing near his desk less than ten minutes later; she looked lost in her head, mumbling quietly to herself.

"Doc? Do you have any idea where Jane might be? Were there any recent threats? Any…disturbances—"

"No!" Maura cut in loudly. "I need you to run something for me."

"What? What about Jane?"

"This _is_ about Jane! Could you just do it? Please Barry?"

He hesitated, but the pleading look in her eyes was enough for him to agree. He nodded, leading her to BRIC and sitting down.

"Okay, I need child abuse cases from 2001," she started.

Frost gave her a wary glance, but pulled up the database, starting with her constraints.

"Female. Initials F. L."

"There are twenty names, Maura."

"How many are still alive?"

"Fifteen."

"How many are still living in Boston?"

"Doc, can I ask what this is about?"

"How many are still living in Boston, Detective Frost?"

She glared at him when he still did nothing.

"Please?" she tried.

He gave her a small smile, typing in the constraints.

"Four."

"Do you have pictures?"

"From when they were kids."

Maura raised her eyebrows expectantly at him, and after a moment of confusion, he stuttered his apology before pulling them up.

It didn't even take ten seconds for Maura to identify the girl, even though she had never seen her before. Dark brown hair, strong jaw, dark eyes.

"Her," she said, pointing.

"Her, what?"

"What's her current address?"

"Why do you _care_?!" Frost asked, finally agitated.

"That might be where they're keeping Jane."

"_She_ took Jane?"

"No! But that's where she might be!" Maura explained, exasperation in her tone.

"I'm bringing backup—"

"I don't think it's like that…"

"What?"

"I don't think she's in any immediate danger."

"Then why're you so worked up?"

"Because she was _kidnapped_. Just because I _think_ something doesn't make it true!" Maura exclaimed. "That's what _Jane_ does. I don't trust my gut."

"So…what're we gonna do?"

* * *

Jane was sick of being kidnapped. Sick of it.

She tried inconspicuously assessing the state of her limbs. Her hands were tied, her legs unbound. Glancing quickly around the rest of the room, she noticed her two captors, arguing quietly in the corner. The two women couldn't have been more than drinking age, both with small frames. The one closest to her had fiery red hair, her back turned to Jane. The other, brunette, had an angry look on her face as she tried to reason with the other woman.

They had yet to see Jane was awake, so she quickly closed her eyes, listening to their conversation.

"Did you have anything planned after this?" the brunette hissed. "I mean, what're we gonna do? We don't even know if this is her!"

"_You_ don't know if it's her. I do."

"This is insane. Are we just gonna wait for orders? Should we like...do something?"

"I don't know! I hate this!" the red-head exclaimed. "I hate violence, I hate...all of this!"

"I say we just try and figure this out on our own. For once in our lives, could we maybe _not_ wait for the rest of the gang—"

"No!" the red-head cut in a little too quickly.

A beat of silence passed as everyone in the room took in the reaction.

"Do you have a problem with me?"

There was another long pause before the red-head's voice is back.

"If I had a problem with you, I wouldn't have brought you back to life, Anya!" the red-head snapped.

At this, Jane couldn't help but open her eyes. What she saw was indescribable. The red-head had reached over and pulled open the other woman's button-down. A scar started to the left of the brunette's bellybutton all the way up her body and to her shoulder.

"You think that means I owe you something?" the brunette—Anya, apparently—asked, her hands immediately closing her shirt once again. "I didn't ask you to save me."

"I know. You don't owe me anything. I just…I just thought maybe you'd…"

"What?"

"Let go of at least…some of your pent-up resentment toward me."

"Yes, well, I did. And then it felt strange."

"So?"

"So I feel like I'm supposed to dislike you for knowing my husband longer than I have."

"That's why I saved you!" the red-head breathed, her exasperation evident. "For him! He's my best friend, Anya. We're not star-crossed lovers hell-bent on getting together behind your back! If we were, I would've left you in the ground!"

Silence fell between the two, and Jane felt, for the first time, that this was not something she should be listening to. So she tried to shut out their talking, although it had quieted down considerably.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, she felt movement near her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, moving herself to a sitting position when neither woman made a move for her. Her two captors just stayed sitting next to her in what looked like an unfurnished apartment. They kept looking at each other with concern every so often. They had yet to say a word to her, and Jane was starting to wonder what they even wanted.

She gave a forceful tug on her restraints, only to feel a sharp pain in her wrist. The red-head closest to her grimaced, reaching out a comforting hand before deciding otherwise, letting her hand fall back to her lap.

"Just…relax, okay?" she said softly "We're not gonna hurt you."

"Yeah, Will, 'cause she's really in a position to believe a word we say," the shorter brunette grumbled. "Just drop it—"

"I'm Willow," the red-head continued. "That's Anya."

Anya scowled, but said nothing.

"You do realize I'm a cop…a detective, right?" Jane asked angrily.

There was a silence between her captors, and they exchanged glances.

"No. We didn't. But…could you maybe hear us out?" Willow asked meekly.

Jane glared at her as she tugged at her restraints, indicating she really didn't have a choice.

"Well, umm…" the red-head started, wringing her hands nervously. "I don't really know how to tell you, but—"

"There's someone else in your body," Anya cut in impatiently.

"I was getting there!" Willow protested.

"Well you know, you were taking the scenic route. She needs to hear it." The woman looked back to Jane. "There's someone else in your body," she repeated.

"Really?" Jane asked sarcastically, even more dramatic than usual. "I didn't notice."

"Wait…you can feel her?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Not at first, no! But I'd black out, and then I'd wake up in a different place. So, you know, I figured it out. Started leaving notes to my other self. It was kinda scary when the other person responded. She's kind of a pain in the ass."

"That's Faith for you," Willow sighed.

"What?"

"Her name's Faith. Faith Lehane. That's who's in your body."

Jane didn't say anything for a few moments. She wanted nothing more than to massage her palms and calm her nerves, but the restraints kept her from much movement at all. It made her feel bad, to know that she was actually repressing someone else's life. She worked so hard to help people, it just…it felt wrong.

_It's alright, Rizzoli. Not your fault._

_**Yeah, well…I'm sorry anyway….Faith.**_

_No hard feelings._

With a final, deep breath, Jane looked back up.

"Sorry," she said quietly, fighting the urge to look away as she stared into Willow's worried emerald eyes. "That…made this real. To hear that she's…really a person. It was all, you know, speculation…" she trailed off, biting her lip as her head once again dropped.

"If it makes you feel any better…she's kind of a bitch," Anya added brightly.

Jane laughed half-heartedly.

"I figured that out for myself, thanks."

All three of them looked at each other hesitantly for a moment.

"Well this is all wonderful…" Jane said sarcastically, "but could you maybe…untie me? If all you wanna do is talk to Faith, then I won't stop you. And I'm not like…fighting to get away because I think the both of you are nuts. Well…you might be, but I'm pretty much right there with you."

Again, the women exchanged glances, almost as if they were having a silent conversation. Then Willow shrugged, and with a wave of her hand, Jane's restrains faded away. The detective yelped, trying to jerk away from her own hands.

"What in the hell was that?!" she yelled, rubbing her wrists, disbelieving that the restraints were gone.

"Willow's a witch."

"A…witch…" Jane repeated cautiously.

"Don't say it like that," Willow muttered. "This one gives me enough trouble for it," she jerked her thumb to Anya. "And she shouldn't talk, immortal vengeance demon…"

Jane's brow creased, trying to figure out the words the red-head was spewing.

"Vengeance demon? Do you two hear what you say?"

"Yes. I don't find anything silly about that," Anya snapped. "I carried you to the van, didn't I?"

"Lucky shot," Jane muttered.

"No. Demon strength."

Jane wanted to call them both crazy. On any other day, she probably would have. But then again, she had another woman in her head. There really wasn't much she wouldn't believe anymore.

"So…do you guys know what happened?"

She was met with silence. Anya looked down sheepishly at her lap.

Willow finally started her explanation, starting with the day it happened.

* * *

_"Shit! Shit, shit, shit—"_

_"Anya. Stop. You're making me nervous," Willow berated._

_"You're not nervous already?! We lost her! We lost Buffy and she's gonna kill Faith."_

_"She's not gonna kill her."_

_"Sure. Because Buffy's not the killing type. Didn't she already shove a knife through her once?"_

_"That's not…that was different. She can handle her emotions. I'm actually worried for her. You don't know Faith like I do."_

_"Aww," Anya laughed. "You're still bitter about when she held you hostage."_

_Willow gave her a light shove, knocking her slightly off balance, but they both chuckled._

_"Maybe a little. But our point in coming here was recruiting Faith, not…ruining her life some more."_

_"I still don't see why we need her," Anya admitted, her pace slowing. "She's…she's just so rogue. She's a flight risk, and that's not what the girls need. They need a good role model, now that the Academy's formed and we're teaching them the lifestyle of…well of being like us."_

_Willow sighed._

_"That's why Buffy thinks we need her. She's…she's the example of what not to do, but also she's the example of how people…change—"_

_"AND THAT'S MY FAULT?" Faith's angry voice echoed from somewhere nearby._

_Their heads snapped in the voice's general direction, then to look at each other._

_"Found them."_

_They ran. Before either of their allies did something they'd regret. Buffy had Faith pinned to the wall, growling something in her ear. Faith just pushed her away roughly._

_"Grab her," Willow hissed, timidly shoving Anya toward the pair._

_"Excuse me?! Witchy-powers girl? You grab them. I'd get a limb torn off."_

_"Oh, no. Your demon strength is back. I saw you fighting—"_

_"God, I just…wish…" Willow heard Faith start._

_She went to cover Anya's ears, but it was too late._

_"…I wish I didn't have to deal with you anymore…"_

* * *

"So…you granted her…wish?" Jane asked skeptically. "What are you, a genie?"

Anya feigned amusement.

"Ha, ha, very original. No."

"If you did it, can't you just…undo it?" Jane asked. She was not following.

Anya made an annoyed face, giving a rather loud sigh. Willow was quick to step in and explain.

"At first she thought it was because we didn't have Faith in her proximity. But now that she…is…"

"I think it's payback. From my boss. Last time I reversed a spell, it was out of kindness, and that's in strict violation of my contract—"

"So then what's the problem? Can't you change me back?" Jane asked, pointing to Willow.

Willow gave an annoyed look this time, her glare flitting briefly to the vengeance demon beside her. In distaste. "Vengeance demon spells outrank witch spells, no matter how wide the power gap."

"And…you really…just accept all this…stuff?" Jane asked, unsure exactly how to phrase it. Supernatural.

"Well, sure. I've grown up with it," Willow laughed. "Besides, it kinda feels like two different worlds…you know? This world and the science one…"

"You like science?" Jane asked, surprised.

"Course I do. Organic chemistry always fascinated me, especially, but there was only a small introduction to it in high school, and I really didn't get that far into college to work too much with it. Don't matter. It's fun to write out mechanisms of chemical reactions in my free time…"

Jane didn't hear much after that. She was too amused with the red-head. She sounded so much like Maura with her geeky love of science. And her inability to filter that love down to information everybody in the world could understand.

"…but the point is," Jane heard Willow continue, "I've always been curious as to how magic and science could really connect. I mean, a potion with witchcraft is very similar, but I think the biological aspect could be…interesting as well. Like seeing if there's a difference in the cells surrounding a vampire bite-mark as compared to the rest of the body—"

"Bite-marks? You lost me, there," Jane laughed.

"Oh, sorry. What made me think of it were all the injuries I've been treating after our recuperation from stopping the apocalypse."

"The apocalypse? Now…now I'm really lost."

"We stopped it. The end of the world, I mean," Anya tried to explain. It seemed she had a better handle of Willow's speaking than Jane did.

"You?" Jane asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

"And me."

A new woman entered the room. A petite blonde girl, arms crossed, head tilted as she approached.

"B…"

The name spilled out of Jane's mouth in a gasp, though she did not know what it meant. She had most certainly not been the one who said it. Jane felt Faith spring alive inside her, and before she could stop it, her body lurched forward, her lips crashing fiercely to the blonde's.

She ripped herself away from the stranger.

"Damn it, Faith!" Jane yelled out.

She could feel Faith's smirk, and it only made her more frustrated.

"She's...in there now?" the blonde, B or Bea, or…Buffy—that was the name Willow had used in her explanation of what happened—asked.

"Yeah. But i-if you wanted to talk to her…directly, you should wait for 8:00 to roll 'round."

"Is…is that how it works?" Buffy asked quietly, peering up into Jane's eyes.

"Yeah. But she can hear you…" Jane tried, unsure exactly what to say.

She now understood that this was the blonde from her recurring dream, and that Faith was the brunette, so Faith's reaction was…well it wasn't the first one she had expected. And the blonde standing in front of her did something else surprising. Carefully, she leaned forward, rocking up onto her toes. Her one hand went to the back of Jane's neck for support, her lips brushing the detective's ear with every word: "I'm sorry, Faith. I was out of line."

Faith shuddered within Jane, and Jane's body reacted accordingly.

_She don't have to apologize. I got in this mess all by myself…Well, and with Anya, but that's…not the point._

_**So…you remember?**_

_Yeah. It…it all came back…with her._

_**Well someone's got a little crush**__._

_Shut your yap, Rizzoli._

Jane chuckled, though she didn't mean for it to be out loud, then remembered the woman not two inches from her lips.

"Faith said she loves you."

_Did not!_

_**Shut your yap, Vanessa, err, Faith….God, I'm sorry.**_

_S'okay. I just don't know where this…leaves us. Because I mean…both of us knowing who I am again don't really help at all. I'm still in your body._

"Jane?"

She looked up, over the blonde's shoulder to see Maura.

"Maura?"

"You're…okay?!"

"Well I, uhh, I wasn't…but then, they…these…nice people started explaining everything—"

She was cut off when Maura promptly slapped her across her cheek.

"I was worried sick, Jane!" she shouted.

Jane paused, composing herself, before a small smirk slipped on her face.

"Feel better?" she asked quietly.

Maura looked at her, shocked, for a long moment, before finally rolling her eyes.

"Yes. A little. But that's beside the point—"

Jane kissed her firmly, waiting for Maura to kiss back before she pulled away, gently.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly, still holding Maura. "You should've been the first thing I thought of when they let me loose."

Maura relaxed considerably in her arms. "Can they fix it?"

_Hey, I'm not broken._

_**You know what she meant**__._

"We're working on it, Maur. There's a lot of new…stuff you should probably know about. And…I don't think your…science brain is gonna like it too much…."

* * *

**A/N: *cringes*...thoughts? Ideas on how they're gonna solve their little problem?**


End file.
